Is a blockchain timestamp as good as WGA registration?

For its core purpose — dated proof that your script existed — yes, and it's permanent rather than expiring. Neither WGA registration nor a timestamp is a copyright registration, so register finished work with the Copyright Office if you may need to sue.

Does WGA registration protect my script's copyright?

No. It only creates a dated record and it expires. Copyright is automatic when you write the script; for legal protection you register with the U.S. Copyright Office. A timestamp is dated evidence, like WGA registration but permanent.

Can I timestamp a treatment or outline, not just a full script?

Yes — any file works. Timestamp treatments, outlines, beat sheets, or full drafts before you share them to establish that your version existed first.

Alternative to WGA Registration

An Alternative to WGA Registration

Writers Guild (WGA) registration creates a dated record that your script existed — useful before pitching. But it expires and is industry-specific. A blockchain timestamp does the same dated-proof job, permanently, for any kind of work.

What WGA registration actually is

WGA registration deposits your script and records the date it existed. Importantly, it is not a copyright registration — it doesn't grant the legal rights that the U.S. Copyright Office does, and it expires after a set term. Its value is purely as dated evidence.

A blockchain timestamp does the same job — permanently

If the point is dated proof that your specific draft existed before you pitched it, a blockchain timestamp matches WGA registration and improves on it:

Permanent — it never expires.
Tamper-proof and public — verifiable by anyone on a public ledger.
Any work — scripts, treatments, outlines, novels, lyrics, or designs, not just guild material.

	WGA registration	Blockchain timestamp
Creates dated proof	Yes	Yes
Expires	Yes	No
Scope	Scripts / industry	Any file
Public, independent check	No	Yes

Best practice for writers

Timestamp your draft, treatment, or outline before sending it anywhere, and register finished work you may need to defend with the Copyright Office. See how to copyright a screenplay, then timestamp your draft.

Prove it on the blockchain

Timestamp any file on the Ethereum blockchain and get a tamper-proof, lifetime certificate that it existed today. Your file never leaves your browser.

Create a timestamp — $49.99

An Alternative to WGA Registration

What WGA registration actually is

A blockchain timestamp does the same job — permanently

Best practice for writers

Prove it on the blockchain

Frequently asked questions