WHAT IS COPYRIGHT?
Copyright is a legal right that grants the creator of an original work exclusive control over its use and distribution. Owning the copyright to your work entitles you to license it, collect royalties, and control how it is reproduced, performed, or displayed for both financial and non-financial gain.
WHAT CAN I PROTECT/REGISTER?
Copyright protects original creative works across all mediums. You can register movie or TV scripts, stage plays, treatments, synopses, TV series bibles, books, poems, songs, lyrics, logos, manuals, databases, diagrams, sketches, paintings, and audio recordings. For explicit details on exclusions, please visit our Copyright Law page.
HOW LONG DOES COPYRIGHT LAST FOR?
In the UK, standard literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works are protected by copyright for the lifetime of the creator plus 70 years after their death. While international laws vary slightly, most countries signed to international treaties offer protection for at least the creator’s life plus 50 years.
DOES THE WRITERS’ GUILD OF GREAT BRITAIN HAVE A COPYRIGHT REGISTRATION SERVICE?
No. Unlike the Writers’ Guild of America (WGA), the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) does not operate an in-house registry. However, The Script Vault is proud to be the only UK copyright registration service officially approved by the WGGB and featured on their official industry resource list.
DO I HAVE COPYRIGHT PROTECTION IN THE US AND OTHER COUNTRIES?
Yes. The Berne Convention is a major international copyright treaty signed by 182 countries, including both the UK and the United States. This agreement guarantees ‘national treatment’, meaning the legal system of the member countries is required to give your UK-created script the exact same fundamental copyright protections as a script written by one of their own citizens.
IS MY COPYRIGHT REGISTERED FROM THE MOMENT YOU RECEIVE MY ITEM?
Yes. The exact date and time your digital submission lands in our system is automatically captured and locked into our database. In the event of an authorship dispute, The Script Vault provides independent, third-party corroboration of the exact text received and the identity of the person who logged it.
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I THINK MY COPYRIGHT HAS BEEN INFRINGED AND MY WORK IS REGISTERED WITH THE SCRIPT VAULT?
We offer free initial guidance to all of our registered clients. If legal action becomes necessary, we can directly connect you with specialist intellectual property solicitors who handle copyright theft. (Note: If you are a member of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, they also offer excellent individual legal assistance to their members.)
ARE THERE ANY RESTRICTIONS ON THE SIZE OF ATTACHMENT I CAN SEND TO THE SCRIPT VAULT?
Our online registration platform accommodates files up to 10MB. If your project, series bible, or media asset exceeds this size limit, please contact us directly via email for a custom price quote.
CAN I SEND HARD COPIES TO THE SCRIPT VAULT OR DO YOU JUST ACCEPT DIGITAL COPIES?
To minimise our environmental footprint, we operate as a 100% digital registry and no longer accept physical scripts or paper documents. All historical hard-copy registrations currently resting in our physical vaults will remain securely stored until their agreed registration terms naturally expire.
CAN I USE THE UNLIMITED ITEMS COPYRIGHT REGISTRATION SUBSCRIPTION FOR FILE BACKUP?
No. This subscription model is strictly reserved for verifying intellectual property, not general file storage. For daily script iteration backups, please utilise standard cloud platforms like Google Drive or iCloud. Registered items must independently qualify for copyright protection under UK law and adhere to our fair use policy.
IF I SEND MY SCRIPT TO YOU FOR SCRIPT READING/COVERAGE HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO GET THE SCRIPT REPORT SENT TO ME?
We know how eager writers are to implement feedback and dive into the rewrite phase. Our industry-active readers deliver comprehensive, professional script evaluation reports directly to your inbox within 7 to 10 days of submission.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO MY REGISTERED ITEM IF THE SCRIPT VAULT CEASED TRADING
The Script Vault has been securely protecting writers since 2002. To give our clients absolute peace of mind, we consulted with the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain to establish a bulletproof safety mechanism. We have a binding legal agreement with an independent firm of solicitors who will immediately absorb and take custody of our entire digital database in the unlikely event we stop trading, ensuring your proof of ownership remains untouched and valid until the end of your term.