Screenwriters Association India

What Screenwriters Association India does

The Screenwriters Association (SWA) is a registered Trade Union (Regd. No. 3726) under India's Trade Union Act 1926, headquartered in Mumbai and serving screenwriters and lyricists across Films, TV, and Digital Media throughout India. Its core functional offering is the Minimum Basic Contract (MBC) program, organized through four sub-committees covering Film, TV, Lyric, and Web/Digital sectors, which draft and negotiate standard contracts and minimum rates with producer bodies via collective bargaining. Supporting member services include a Dispute Settlement Committee (DSC) for resolving conflicts with producer bodies, legal consultation, script/lyric/story copyright registration, welfare programs (medical aid, pension, scholarships), subsidized educational workshops, the annual SWA Awards, and the SWA Script Lab & Pitch Fest.

SWA is governed by an Executive Committee operating under the SWA Constitution with oversight from a General Body of Regular, Life, and Associate members. It has no parent company, private equity, or venture capital ownership, and is not a commercial enterprise. Its technology footprint consists of an official website (swaindia.org), an online Membership Portal for registration and renewals, and presence on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter/X for member communications and industry news distribution. Office-based service delivery remains a core channel, with specific hours allocated for script registration and membership activities at its Andheri (West) Mumbai office.

The business model is non-commercial: SWA is funded through member contributions and provides its collective bargaining, legal, welfare, and educational services to members without separate fees beyond membership dues. There is no disclosed revenue, headcount, or financial reporting in the available source data, consistent with its status as a non-profit trade union rather than a revenue-generating enterprise.

Name

Screenwriters Association India

Legal name

The Screenwriters Association

Website

https://swaindia.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Screenwriters Association (SWA) is a Mumbai-headquartered, pan-Indian trade union (Trade Union Act 1926, Regd. No. 3726) representing screenwriters and lyricists across Film, TV, Lyric, and Digital Media through collective bargaining, contract standardization, legal aid, welfare programs, and skill development services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Trade Union Services

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPADAAAA

Development & Packaging (IP Sourcing, Script, Attachments)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Film Development & Financing

SECONDARYMPADAAAK

Sales Agency Representation & Deal Structuring

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Film Development & Financing

SECONDARYEDAMAMAD

Playwriting & Scriptwriting Workshops (Stage)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Creative Writing Workshops

Keywords

• Screenwriter trade union
• Script registration services
• Minimum basic contracts
• Copyright dispute resolution
• Lyricist collective bargaining

Headquarters

HQ city

Mumbai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Screenwriters Association (SWA) is a registered Trade Union (Regd. No. 3726 under the Trade Union Act 1926) that represents screenwriters and lyricists working in Films, TV and Digital Media in India. It provides membership-based services including Minimum Basic Contract (MBC) standardization across Film, TV, Lyric and Web sub-sectors, copyright registration of scripts and lyrics, legal assistance, welfare programs, and dispute resolution.

Product overview

Screenwriters Association India is a membership-based Trade Union (registered under Trade Union Act 1926, Regd. No. 3726) providing services to screenwriters and lyricists working in Films, TV, and Digital Media in India. The organization operates as a platform offering member services including the Minimum Basic Contract (MBC) program for collective bargaining, Dispute Settlement Committee (DSC) for conflict resolution, Legal Help services, Script Registration, Education programs, and the annual SWA Awards. The core offering is the MBC framework with four subcommittees (Film, TV, Lyric, and Web) that draft and negotiate standard contracts and minimum rates. Supporting services include welfare programs, a membership portal, and a media/news section.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MBC (Minimum Basic Contract) Drafts minimum basic contracts and rate cards for screenwriters through collective bargaining, with subcommittees covering Film, TV, Lyric, and Web categories. Standardizes industry contracts and minimum rates.
• Script Registration Service Registers scripts, lyrics, and stories written by members to safeguard copyright ownership, available at SWA office and through online channels.
• DSC (Dispute Settlement Committee) Addresses and resolves conflicts between members and producer bodies through a structured resolution process, covering breach of contracts, copyright infringement, credit disputes and remuneration issues.
• Legal Help / Ask Our Lawyer Provides legal counsel appointments and consultancy services exclusively for members on entertainment industry legal matters.
• Welfare Services Provides medical aid, pension, and scholarships to needy and elderly members and their children.
• Education Services Enhances writing skills and knowledge through seminars and workshops at subsidized costs for members.
• SWA Awards Recognition program honoring excellence in screenwriting within the Indian entertainment industry.
• Membership Portal Online platform for members to register, renew, upgrade memberships, and manage their accounts.
• SWA Script Lab & Pitch Fest Initiative providing learning opportunities and support for screenwriters to develop their craft through script development and pitching events.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Federation of Indian Performing Arts (FIPA) / similar Indian writers' collectives: Indian writers'/performers' collectives that advocate for creators in regional or vernacular segments; comparable peer type focused on local industry advocacy, though typically narrower in scope than SWA's pan-India film/TV/digital remit.

Broad incumbents

• Society of Authors (UK): UK-based trade union for authors, screenwriters, and other writers offering contract advice, legal support, and collective representation — comparable as a writers' advocacy organization, though broader in scope (spanning books, scripts, journalism) than SWA.
• Writers Guild of America (WGA): The largest and most established screenwriters' trade union globally, representing film, TV, and digital writers in the U.S. with statutory collective bargaining for minimums, credits, residuals, and dispute resolution — directly comparable to SWA's MBC and DSC functions but at vastly greater scale.

Direct peers

• Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS): Indian copyright society collecting and distributing royalties for music composers, lyricists, and publishers; closely comparable to SWA's lyricist representation and copyright registration mandate in the Indian entertainment sector.
• Writers' Guild of Great Britain: UK trade union representing screenwriters, TV writers, and other media writers, negotiating minimum agreements, providing legal support and dispute resolution — closely analogous in mandate and structure to SWA, with a regional rather than Indian membership base.
• Federation of Western India Film Employees (FWICE): Indian film industry federation representing multiple crafts and worker categories, often a counter-party in labor negotiations with producers — directly comparable as a sister industry body operating in the same Indian film ecosystem as SWA.
• Dramatists Guild of America: U.S. professional association for playwrights, lyricists, composers, and librettists providing contract negotiation, dispute resolution, and advocacy — directly comparable peer for SWA's MBC framework, legal services, and dispute resolution committees.

Others

• Indian Film and Television Producers' Council (IFTPC): Counter-party industry body representing producers in negotiations with SWA and other guilds — directly relevant as the organization SWA negotiates MBCs and contracts with, and useful as an adjacent peer for understanding the Indian film labor market structure.
• International Affiliation of Writers Guilds (IAWG): Global federation of screenwriters' guilds including WGA and other national writers' unions; directly comparable as the umbrella affiliation SWA could partner with for cross-border standards and representation.
• PEN International: Global writers' association advocating for freedom of expression and writers' rights; comparable in mission (writers' advocacy and welfare) though broader and more policy-oriented than SWA's collective-bargaining mandate.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/swa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/screenwritersassociation
• Facebookfacebook.com/swaindiaorg
• Instagraminstagram.com/swaindiaorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/screenwriters-association-india

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Screenwriters Association India