What does WGA registration primarily provide protection against?

WGA registration primarily provides protection against producers stealing writers' ideas. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) offers a system for writers to register their scripts and other written works, which establishes a public record of the work and its creation date. This registration serves as a crucial legal safeguard for writers, as it can help prove authorship in the event of disputes over idea theft or copyright infringement.

In an industry where ideas can be verbally communicated and potentially appropriated without proper credit, having a registered work helps protect a writer’s intellectual property by documenting the original concept. This protection empowers writers by ensuring they have a reference point to defend themselves legally if producers attempt to claim ownership of their ideas or scripts.

By ensuring that a writer's ideas are registered, it provides them with leverage in negotiations and the confidence that their creative contributions are safeguarded.