How to protect a screenplayCopyright applies automatically; register in the US before you share it widely, and keep dated drafts

TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes.

The file stays on your device. Your browser makes a digital fingerprint of the file. TimeBinder records the fingerprint and the time, not the file.

Short answer

Your screenplay is protected by copyright automatically once it is written down, but ideas themselves are not. In the US, register with the Copyright Office before sharing widely, since registration is needed to sue. WGA registration is a dated record, not a legal substitute. Keep dated drafts and share through agents or release forms.

What protects a script

Copyright covers the script’s expression: dialogue, scenes and the way the story is told. It does not cover the bare premise or a genre idea (17 U.S.C. § 102(b)). For US scripts, registration is generally needed before you can sue.

The Writers Guild of America registry gives a dated record of a script, and the Guild says it is not a substitute for copyright registration (WGA West Registry). Many writers do both. When you share a script, send it to people you trust, through representatives where possible, and keep a log of who received which draft and when.

Dated drafts

Save each draft as a PDF or Final Draft file with a date and version in the name. A TimeBind records a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact file and a time, anchored to Bitcoin. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file is not uploaded.

A record of drafts can help show how a script developed. A TimeBind shows a file existed by a recorded time and has not changed since. It does not register copyright, is not legal advice and does not by itself prove who made the file. See how to protect an idea without a patent.

Make a TimeBind: first one free →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to register my screenplay?

Not for copyright to exist. In the US you generally need registration before suing, so many writers register before submitting widely.

Is WGA registration enough?

It is a dated record, not copyright registration, and the WGA does not claim otherwise.

Can someone steal my idea?

Ideas are not protected by copyright. Confidentiality agreements and careful sharing help.

What should I keep?

Dated drafts, notes, and a log of who you sent the script to.

Sources

Cornell LII, 17 U.S.C. § 102.
WGA West, Registry.
TimeBinder, How to protect an idea without a patent.

Related guides and tools

Your file’s fingerprint, anchored to a global network secured by real electricity and cryptography.

Editing a file—including with AI—changes its fingerprint, not its existing network record.

How this works

Your file’s SHA-256 fingerprint, a short code worked out from its exact contents, is made in your browser, and the file itself stays on your device. A cryptographic commitment to that fingerprint, which may be combined with others, is then anchored in a block on the Bitcoin blockchain. Bitcoin is secured by proof of work: computers around the world spend real electricity to add each block, and changing an earlier block would mean redoing that work faster than the rest of the network. Until that block is confirmed, your proof is pending. Once the Bitcoin anchoring is confirmed, you can verify the proof against that recorded commitment. The confirmed record can then be checked; Pooled TimeBinds are checked through TimeBinder, while ASAP TimeBinds can also be checked independently. If you check the file later and its fingerprint still matches, that shows the file existed no later than the recorded time. The record doesn’t show who made the file, whether AI was used, or that its contents are true.

Your filestays on your device
FingerprintSHA-256
Network timestampon Bitcoin

Record a fingerprint of the file you rely on

Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact file you hold.

Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
Add your files. They stay on your computer.
Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.

Open TimeBinder →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.