How can I protect my screenplay from theft? Ask the lawyer

Q: I have a screenplay that is going to be shopped around. For various reasons, I think there will be real interest. How do I ensure no one who reviews it, steals the ideas and storyline?
-V.S., Los Angeles
Ron Sokol
A: Two immediate options come to mind to seek to protect your script: Register it with the Writer’s Guild of America and/or the U.S. Copyright Office. The WGA provides recordation of when the script is received, and provides proof of authorship of the work. It does not, howeve