How to Document a Screenplay Before Sending It to a Producer
Before a script leaves your hands, export it as a PDF, put a qualified timestamp on that exact file, and log where you send it. Do the same for the treatment, outline or series bible you send with it. That gives you independent evidence that this text existed on that date, unchanged since. It covers what screenwriters most often need: showing what you sent, and when, if a producer, co-writer or competition later produces something built on your pages. It cannot cover a logline, premise or title, because nothing can.
This is general information, not legal advice for a specific dispute.
A realistic view of the risk
Established producers rarely take scripts outright; a lawsuit would cost them more than an option fee. What writers run into more often is a project with a similar premise, which is normal in film and television, since copyright covers your scenes, characters as written and dialogue, not the idea. The situations where a dated record of your pages helps are usually these:
- a co-writer or former writing partner who later claims scenes or the whole draft;
- a producer, director or development executive who develops a project that follows your scenes, not just your premise;
- a competition, lab or pitching event where your script sits with people you do not know;
- an accusation that you copied someone, which you answer by showing your draft came first.
Your options, compared
| Option | What it gives you | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| WGA West Registry | A dated deposit of your material, recognised in the US industry | Runs for five years unless renewed; it is evidence, not a copyright filing |
| U.S. Copyright Office registration | A public record; for US works, needed before suing in a US federal court | Matters mainly if the US is where a dispute would happen |
| National deposits (SACD partner service in France, SIAE deposit in Italy, the Spanish Intellectual Property Registry) | A dated deposit with a recognised body | Voluntary, paid, country-specific; none of them creates the copyright |
| Emailing the script to yourself | A date in your own mailbox | You control the account and the message |
| Qualified timestamp on a PDF | This exact file existed at this moment, unchanged since, presumed accurate across the EU | Records your declaration, not who wrote it; keep the drafts for that |
These are not mutually exclusive. A US-bound writer may register with the WGA and still timestamp every draft between registrations; a European writer who never deals with the US may not need a registry at all.
Before you send: a checklist
- Export a PDF of the exact draft. Final Draft, Fade In and Fountain files change their fingerprint every time they are re-saved. A PDF you never open in an editor stays byte-for-byte the same.
- Timestamp the whole package you send. If a producer asks for the script, a one-page synopsis and a pitch deck, timestamp each file as sent, or list them in a manifest and timestamp that.
- Keep the certificate private. Leave the options to store or show the original unticked; only the fingerprint is sent, so your pages stay with you.
- Log every submission. Date, recipient, which draft, and how it was sent. Keep the email or upload confirmation next to the PDF and its certificate.
- Keep anything you sign. Many production companies only read scripts through agents or after you sign a submission release. Read what it says and keep a copy.
- Repeat for each new draft. A dated chain of drafts is far harder to argue with than one date.
Which files and records to keep
- Every draft in its original format, not only the PDF you sent: version history shows you writing it.
- Notes, outlines, beat sheets and treatments with their own dates.
- For series, the bible and pilot as a package: characters and arcs as you wrote them are where your work is most specific.
- Correspondence with producers, readers and co-writers, including meeting notes after a pitch.
- Any agreement: co-writing, option, release forms. A two-paragraph co-writing agreement settles more than any evidence after the fact.
What a StampR certificate adds
A StampR certificate binds the SHA-256 fingerprint of your PDF to a qualified electronic timestamp from BORICA B-Trust, with your declaration that you are its author. Under Article 41(2) of the EU eIDAS Regulation, the date and integrity of a qualified timestamp are presumed accurate. If you later need to show what you sent, the other side, a lawyer or a court can check on the verification page that your PDF matches the certificate and when it was timestamped.
Timestamp your script before it goes out – the first certificate on an account is €4.90.
What it does not replace
- It does not cover your logline, premise or title. Those are not protected by copyright in the first place.
- It does not create or record any rights. Copyright arises when you write the script, with no formality, under the Berne Convention.
- It does not replace a contract with co-writers, or an option or purchase agreement.
- It does not replace US registration if a US lawsuit is a realistic scenario.
- It does not prevent copying. It gives you a dated record to point to if it happens.
A note on cover letters
Do not put "registered" or "copyright protected" on the title page or mention legal warnings when you query. Readers see it as a writer expecting to be robbed. The evidence works just as well unannounced.
Related reading
- How to prove you wrote your manuscript before sending it – the same steps for books and prose.
- Every option for evidencing authorship, compared.
- How to show your certificate – to a producer, lawyer or platform.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to register my screenplay before sending it?
Copyright exists as soon as you write it. Registration or a timestamp gives you evidence of your text and its date. If you deal with US producers, the WGA Registry is the industry habit; a qualified timestamp is presumed accurate in EU courts.
Is the WGA Registry better than a timestamp?
They do similar jobs for different places. The WGA Registry is familiar to US producers and runs for five years at a time; a qualified timestamp has a legal presumption of accuracy across the EU. Some writers use both.
Can someone steal my script idea?
Ideas, premises and loglines are not protected by copyright, so similar projects are not infringement. What is covered is your written expression: scenes, dialogue, characters as written.
Should I timestamp the Final Draft file or the PDF?
The PDF you actually send. Screenwriting software rewrites its files on every save, so their fingerprint changes even when the text does not.
Is my script uploaded?
No. The fingerprint is calculated in your browser and only the fingerprint is sent, unless you choose to store a copy.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 (eIDAS), Article 41 – legal effect of qualified electronic timestamps.
- WGA West Registry, Registration details – five-year term and renewal.
- Berne Convention – protection without formalities.
- TRIPS Agreement, Article 9(2) – copyright covers expressions, not ideas.
Sources checked 2026-11-04.
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