Hey, thats my idea! How to protect it…

Immediately after we completed the Treatment for MotorSport Ranch I wondered how people in the television and film industry protected their ideas and concepts.  I brought this issue up with Bob and Tanya (she details some of this in her book Pitching Hollywood) and they indicated that the first step was registering the idea with the Writers Guild of America - you can even do it online. 

You may ask, “Why should I register my material?” and according the the WGA’s FAQ: 

    The registration process places preventative measures against plagiarism or unauthorized use of an author’s material. While someone else may have the same storyline or idea in his or her material, your evidence lies in your presentation of your work.  Registering your work does not disallow others from having a similar storyline or theme. Rather, registering your work would potentially discourage others from using your work without your permission.

    Though the Registry cannot prevent plagiarism, it can produce the registered material as well as confirm the date of registration. Registering your work creates legal evidence for the material that establishes a date for the material’s existence. The WGAw Registry, as a neutral third party, can testify for that evidence. 

Msr_wgaIt only cost me $20.00 to register MotorSport Ranch: Registration No.: 999021.  There are lots of resources on the WWW regarding protection.