What is WriterGuard?
WriterGuard is a creative works registry that serves as a supplemental protection service against copyright infringement. WriterGuard helps you to establish U.S. federal copyright claims before and after your creative works are completed.

How does it work?
By submitting your creative works to WriterGuard, you help establish irrefutable proof that you are the original creator of the works that you register with our service.

Who should use WriterGuard?
WriterGuard should be used by anyone developing creative works or intellectual property that can be copyrighted. Below is our current list of creative works categories, however, you can register any item even it doesn't appear on the list below:

Does WriterGuard replace federal copyright registration?
Only the U.S. Library of Congress can issue a federal copyright registration. However, WriterGuard provides essential pre-copyright protection that the U.S. Library of Congress does not provide.

Why should I use WriterGuard?
There 5 essential reasons to use WriterGuard:

1) Instant protection.
2) Compelling evidence of authorship.
2) Private registration.
4) Copyright Registration Costs
5) Remote backup protection

Reason #1 – Immediate protection against copyright infringement.
Unlike a federal copyright, WriterGuard protects your creative works the instant they are submitted. You do not have to finish the project before registering.

What’s wrong with waiting until the project is finished?
It may take months or even years before your project is completed. During this time you will have no protection against copyright infringement. WriterGuard minimizes your risk against intellectual property theft until you are ready to file for a federal copyright.

Reason #2 - Compelling evidence of authorship.
By regularly submitting your project registrations to WriterGuard, you establish an audit trail and development history, which provides compelling evidence that you are the original creator of this work. This is far better protection than performing a single registration on a final draft copy.

Reason #3– Privacy.
When you submit your material for copyright registration, it becomes public record. That means virtually anyone in the world can get access to it. This is why it’s impractical to submit partial works. With WriterGuard, ALL of your works are kept 100% private. They are NEVER seen by anyone. This allows you to protect partial works without public access.

Reason #4 – Copyright registration costs.
Currently the library of congress charges from $35-$45 per copyright registration. If you are developing many materials, the cost of submission can be outrageous. For only pennies a day, WriterGuard allows you to submit multiple registrations in a single month. The cost of registering this many documents with the federal copyright office could be as much as $9,000 per month. WriterGuard provides a low cost alternative while your works are still being developed and revised. WriterGuard allows you to submit your material repeatedly for a fraction of the cost of a federal copyright registration.

Reason #5 – Remote Backup Protection.
There is nothing worse than losing your creative work and then discovering that you don’t have a backup copy. With WriterGuard, you have the option of storing your documents such that they can be retrieved in the event that you lose your copy.

How do I know my original works are safe at WriterGuard?
To begin with, WriterGuard personnel have no access to the information that is submitted. Even our security officers and engineers cannot access your documents. WriterGuard has designed its system with security at the forefront. As a member you have the option to pick the type of protection service that makes you feel the most comfortable:

Protection Method Details:

Protect Only
Full protection against copyright infringement, but documents are NOT stored at WriterGuard.

Protect w/ Automatic Backup Protection
Full protection and also retains an encrypted copy of your document at WriterGuard using an automatic password.

Protect w/ SuperCrypt Backup Protection
Full protection and storage service with manual, non recoverable password.

How does WriterGuard “Protect” service work without storing a copy of the document?
At the time your material is submitted, the WriterGuard computers convert your document or file to a series of numbers and letters called a digital fingerprint. This code is unique to your document. As long as you retain an exact, unchanged copy of the file that you submitted, you will be able to establish proof of the time and date your document was submitted. Proving that you were in possession of this material before anyone else is essential in copyright infringement cases because it helps establish that you were also the creator.

What if someone gets a copy of the "digital fingerprint”?
There is no risk whatsoever to someone else getting a copy of your digital fingerprint, because it's registered in your name. And just like you cannot convert a human fingerprint into a human, a digital fingerprint cannot be converted back into the original document.

So what would I do if I had to go to court to prove ownership of the document?
When you register your material with WriterGuard, you can print out a certificate of registration that includes your digital fingerprint. This number along with a copy of the original, unchanged document on which it was based can be used by your attorney to prove the time of registration of your creative work.

What's the difference between "Protect" and "Backup"?
Backup is an optional service that gives you all of the benefits of “Protect” as described earlier, but also allows you to keep an encrypted copy of your document at WriterGuard as a backup. If the event that your copy is lost or damaged, you can download it from WriterGuard.

What is SuperCrypt?
SuperCrypt is our highest level of document storage security. SuperCrypt gives you the same services as “Protect”, but with an additional level of security. Instead of our system automatically assigning a password to encrypt your documents, you assign your own password. The password that you assign is NOT stored on our server and is NEVER known by any person except for you. This gives you 100% assurance that only YOU can access your documents.

Is there a downside to SuperCrypt?
SuperCrypt is so secure that without the manually assigned password, the documents can NEVER be accessed. This means that if you lose your password, those documents are forever encrypted.

I’ve seen other Internet sites that allow me to reset my password if I lose it. I’m sure you can do the same.
Not with SuperCrypt protection. The encrypted documents are created using YOUR password and if it’s lost, there is NOTHING that WriterGuard can do to recover those documents. Not even for a fee. This is why the protection level is so high. Only you can access the documents.

When I use WriterGuard, is there a chance that the documents on MY computer can get encrypted?
No, WriterGuard has no access to the documents stored on your computer.

Can I use WriterGuard for my patent ideas?
No. The U.S. Patent and Trademark office does not recognize copyright protection for patent registration and enforcement. You MUST register your patents with the U.S.P.T.O.. For more information, please visit http://www.uspto.gov.

Are you affiliated with the U.S. Library of Congress?
No, WriterGuard is a private registrar, not a government agency.

How long does WriterGuard protection last?
WriterGuard does not impose time limits on your registration protection. As long as you retain your account with WriterGuard, your registrations will be valid.

Do I have to continue paying for a subscription to keep my registrations active?
No. If you are no longer actively registering new documents, you can switch to our free subscription plan, which maintains all of your existing registrations at no cost to you for as long as you like.

Does WriterGuard accept hardcopy submissions?
No. WriterGuard's automated electronic submission process provides unparalleled security because it does not permit any person to have access to your creative works. Not even WriterGuard security officers have the ability to access your documents. If we were to accept hardcopy submissions, then we would be compromising our security integrity policies, which mandate the your submissions are never exposed to any person, under any circumstances.