Here is a link to an entertain attorney, Larry Zerner, and his opinion on copyright and WGA.

http://www.writersstore.com/article.php?articles_id=124

Thanks for the link, ISWAW!

Having worked in a law office that dealt with IP I can tell you this much.
1. the whole Poor Man's copyright of mailing to yourself is bunk. No court will accept it as proof of anything cause they know you could have mailed yourself a bunch of blank paper, steamed it open etc
2. WGA is fine for credit related stuff however it is flimsy for a copyright suit
3. You MUST register your copyright with the LOC if you want to claim more than actual damages. and it is advised to do so to help with even actual damages
4. keep records. You have to prove you wrote it, you wrote it first, exactly what you wrote AND that the offender had access to your writing.
5. Remember that ideas are not copyrightable, only the actual characters, plot points etc.

How does someone NOT in the US send copyrighted material for contests etc? Is there an international copyright that is required, or is my Indian copyright enough to protect my material?

@ Nikhil – I’m not an attorney, but I’ve been dealing with copyright issues for a couple of decades.

The short answer is that you are protected in the United States of America by having your script copyrighted in India.

The longer answer: The main purpose of a copyright is to prove creation date of a particular work. That is done by registering the work with whatever legal entity is responsible for legal copyright in your country.

The important issue is whether or not the country you are sending a script (or other copyrightable product) to is also a signatory to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, which is the international treaty that provides for the cross recognition of the copyright of status of a work produced in a signatory country.

Both India and the United States of America are signatories and for the most part, so is just about every other country you would ever send a script to.

The World Intellectual Property Organization is the official headquarters of the treaty and their website has a tremendous amount of information, including the official list of signatory countries, www.wipo.int

@Tom - thanks so much! That calmed a few nerves among my writer friends here :) If I ever get to the US, I owe you a dinner/lunch/breakfast :D
Was just seeing your profile - with that background, I'm sure you'll write incredibly interesting screenplays. All the very best, and yes, if ever coming down to India, do write and let me know. Will give you a basic tour of Bollywood :)