Copyright exists on fixation
An original human-authored work is protected when it is fixed in a tangible form. A registration is not what first creates the copyright.
Registration • Copyright • Documentation
WGA & Copyright Guidance
Provides a public reminder to register scripts, track versions, maintain authorship records, and separate copyright registration from WGA-style evidence of creation.
Copyright
Formal copyright registration protects legal ownership more directly than informal timestamps.
WGA / Registry
Registration can support evidence of authorship and submission timing.
Version Control
Use document IDs, dates, and clean revision history for all scripts and manuscripts.
Three protections that should not be confused
U.S. Copyright Office registration
Creates a public registration record and is important to enforcement. Timing affects eligibility for certain statutory remedies.
WGAW Registry evidence
Provides a dated third-party record of a writer’s claim to possession or authorship. It does not replace federal copyright registration or confer statutory copyright protection.
Aurora authorship record
- Canonical manuscript or screenplay file with exact title, revision, and date
- Outline, drafts, revision notes, correspondence, and source records showing development over time
- Contributor agreements, commissioned-art terms, licensed assets, and third-party permissions
- Submission ledger identifying the exact version sent to each recipient
- Registration application, deposit copy, receipt, certificate, and later corrections or supplementary filings
AI-assisted works require accurate disclosure
Aurora records the author’s conception, selection, arrangement, rewriting, editing, integration, and final creative control. When a work submitted for U.S. registration contains more than a minimal amount of AI-generated material, the application must accurately identify the human contribution and exclude or disclaim non-human authorship as the Copyright Office requires. An AI system is not listed as an author.
Not legal advice: the correct application and
disclosure depend on the actual work and production history.
Uncertain or high-value registrations should be reviewed with
qualified counsel or the Copyright Office’s current guidance.
Rights-record inquiry
Reference the property, version, registration status, and requested document.