COPYRIGHT
Registration with the Library of Congress creates a public record of your claim of authorship and also may entitle you to certain other benefits such as reimbursement of attorney fees and statutory damages (if the registration was made in a timely manner). Copyright registration protects your screenplay for your entire life plus another 70 years. If your screenplay is copied, stolen, etc., in order to commence a copyright infringement action in federal court your screenplay must be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. One cannot copyright a title or an idea. Fee $45
Library of Congress Copyright Office http://www.copyright.gov/
WGA REGISTRY
WGA (Writers Guild of America) registration may be used as corroborating evidence in an infringement trial, but lacks the powers of copyright in terms of providing who is the author of what in the bigger legal picture. Screenplay registration with the WGA is valid for 5 years. Registration with the guild creates evidence in the case of a plagiarism dispute by providing a dated record of the writer's claim to authorship. Material may be produced as evidence if legal or official Guild action is initiated. The Registry does not make comparisons of registration deposits, or bestow any statutory protections. If significant changes are made to a script, re-register it because the new material would not be protected under the previous registration.
Fee $10 for members, $20 for non-members
Writers Guild of America http://www.wga.org/
COPYRIGHT
By law, copyright protection is automatic. Registration provides a certificate that states copyright ownership. This certificate can be used in court to establish ownership. In the event of a legal dispute, author does not have to prove ownership; the onus is on legal opponent to disprove it. Copyright in Canada exists for the life of the author plus 50 years following death. Canadian copyright is valid in other countries.
Registration is no guarantee that your claim of ownership will be recognized as legitimate. The Copyright Office does not check to ensure that work is indeed original, nor does it review or assess works in any way. The Copyright Office is not responsible for ensuring that your copyright is not being infringed. One-time registration fee of $50 Online, otherwise $65, certified copy $35.
Canadian Intellectual Property Office http://www.cipo.gc.ca/
WGC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY REGISTRATION SERVICE
WGC (Writers Guild of Canada) registry is NOT a copyrighting service and registration with the Guild does not protect titles or confer any statutory protection nor take the place of copyright registration. The purpose of the Registration Service of the Guild is to provide a dated record of the writer's claim to authorship. While the WGC stores registered literary material for a five-year period, it does not verify the originality or authenticity of the material. Writers who have registered literary material with the WGC may request confirmation of registration.
Fee $20 for members, $35 for non-members
Writers Guild of Canada http://www.wgc.ca/
Several registries offer online services with a range of purposes. They all serve to create a date-stamped and archived copy, and assist in establishing proof of completion date. Registered materials can be produced at an arbitration hearing or in a court of law. Security of long-term storage in the event original is lost or destroyed. Email documentation of online copyright registration. Files are posted in a private directory on a website.
For various service registries and legal info see the Protection page