I read recently that it took many years for the real author of the Matrix to be rewarded for her writing of the matrix from the W Bros. What is the best way to keep your script yours??
Screenwriting : Copyright infringement by Dr. Ronald D Pate
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I guess I was too brief. I have an adaptation of a major piece of art. I wish to preserve it and get it right, as the restoration of this piece is not just for a film credit. Would like to know how to work with reputable producers to see the project come forth, but it has to have major concessions because it requires the finest professors to be involved in the restoration. Thanks for the comments!
It is WGA submitted and numbered . . . but it seems scripts are modified and changed enough to be produced as competitive pieces of art. Hmmmm . . . . Do you need a best Legal Team strategy to protect yourself??
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As a general rule there's much less story/concept theft in Hollywood than a lot of unproduced screenwriters seem to imagine. My own take is that it hardly ever happens -- yes, there are a few high profile cases perhaps every five years or so, but the majority of these tend to be unknown authors bringing action against highly successful/profitable films -- you can draw your own conclusions about those and also guess how they played out. I haven't bothered to look this up, but I think that Matrix claim may have gone up in smoke. Having said all that, register your script with WGA-West (https://www.wgawregistry.org/) and file for formal US copyright at (http://copyright.gov/eco/). You can do both of these with online submissions and cost is reasonable. Bottom line: paranoia in Hollywood won't help you get scripts sold or produced -- in fact, the opposite is true.
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Except that woman is a lunatic and had her case thrown out of court due to lack of any rational evidence... then gave interviews saying that she had won. Of course, the only paper that printed her crazy story was some college newspaper... but she made sure that got linked and spread around the web. Ten seconds of googling would have exposed this woman as a fraud. There is almost no theft in Hollywood... it makes no financial sense. Out of all of the lawsuits in the past 40 years, I think only 2 have actually proven they were ripped off. The others were lunatics who don't understand synchronicity. Here's why theft makes no sense: if a producer steals your idea, they still need a writer to script it. The writer they hire will be a pro and will be paid more than they would pay you to just buy your screenplay. So even if you don't sue, it's cheaper not to steal. If they do steal? They have to pay that higher priced writer and a lawyer. Why do that? Easier & cheaper to just buy your script. But here's the thing: this is a marathon rather than a sprint. So even if you write a script and find that due to synchronicity a script just like it sold 2 days ago... you just write another script, and another script, and another script. You keep coming up with amazing ideas and scripting them. That's how this works.
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That's super to know. I haven't worked directly in the screenwriting industry, so that's a good word. Have worked directly in the business community in North America and everyone steals from everyone. Corporate espionage and corporate theft are not just a screenwriters invention. I have personally witnessed may hundreds of million of dollars in theft. I love working collaboratively. Did 17 years as a actor in almost every form of Theatre. Started acting in junior high, by high school was in Regional, and Civic, then Rep and Pro. Made it through an entire college theatre program and worked a bit in NY. Stopped in 1986 after doing a College West Coast Premiere of a Holocaust Drama. Glad to hear that there is no real theft in screenwriting. I have been working academically on a project which my mentor had 35 years of scholarship into, and I have 25 years into. As a fledgling screenwriter, I guess you could call it my baby. But it is out of respect for my mentor because it is his baby too. Wouldn't want to wreck what he put into it. Thanks for your input! I am looking forward to being back in "the business" if even on a single project basis. Enjoying all the Stage 32 folks!
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Hey Mr. Martell, I understand where you coming from but why do most release forms say something about the synchronicity is possible? And you said "The writer they hire will be a pro and will be paid more than they would pay you." They could always just pay that one time, but like Richard said...paranoia doesn't sale scripts...
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A release form is designed to cut down the number of lunatic lawsuits... because every time a film is made, someone comes out of the woodwork and says they stole my script! Like the crazy MATRIX lady (who also says TERMINATOR stole her same idea, plus a handful of other films). If someone actually stole your script, copyright trumps that release form. Synchronicity happens constantly because we all live in the same world. So when something happens in the world, there are a bunch of writers who jump on that thing and write a script about it. Even if it is filtered through their own personal imaginations and lives there are so many people writing that there will always be a couple that are similar. The odds dictate that. There are probably about a million screenplays in circulation in any given year... and they are going to but just over 100. The odds that two of those million scripts are close enough that someone will say, "Hey, wait a minute!" are pretty good. But it doesn't make financial sense to steal a script when buying one is cheaper. If some other script pops up that is similar to yours? Write a new script. You will have to write a stack of scripts anyway, so just keep writing new stuff.