Q: What happens if a friend, or someone else, makes a suggestion that you think is good and without written permission include the line, scene, or piece of business in your screenplay. Is there now a copyright issue? A: Assuming, for the moment, that the friend just blurted out this suggestion, and you’ve decided that it…
Q: I have an excellent screenplay concept I’m into – Inspired by a previously published literary book, written by a now-deceased author & screenwriter whose trade and screen writing professional work was quite successful. The publisher of the original “book” is contemporary The author’s literary affairs are now handled by an “estate Trustee,” and a capable Hollywood industry literary agent is still in…
Q: As a TV/film screenwriter I’ve sent short pitches and query letters to several agents. Some have responded with requests to see my work, but other have returned my queries with a “no unsolicited” material letter from the submissions department. I have two questions: 1) Since when is a query to an agent unsolicited material…
Q: What’s required to protect the rights to a screenplay written under a pseudonym? A: Good news. You don’t have to do anything special to protect the rights. As I always say, however, it’s a good idea to register your copyright, as doing so provides some heightened protection, and the right to pursue statutory damages,…
Q: Among a number of scripts and short stories I’ve written is a short sight gag that I doubt I could get anyone else interested in producing — basically it would be too short, and the only market I think would be youtube. Maybe eventually it could be included in an “anthology” of comedy skits…
Q: I am a Canadian who wrote a screenplay and registered it for US copyright. I have been writing query letters and submitting the screenplay to producers around the world—including to a few producers in another country who expressed interest in reading it. Since copyright registration of a few years ago, I have made revisions…
Q: I am currently researching a story that occurred in the 1700s in France. I have used a number of different sources to put together a time-line of the heroine’s life, from which I have plotted out the story. My question is, do I need to obtain any rights, given that the story occurred more…
Q: Writers are encouraged to share their work with friends and family prior to submitting to publishing or film industry professionals. At what point does a family member’s or friend’s contribution considered sufficient to be considered collaboration? In other words, if a family member suggests changes that results in a substantial re-write, is that sufficient…
Q: I’ve sent my script to an agency and have got response they wanna represent me. The CEO of agency advices to do grammar edit and to change the title of the script. I’ve registered my rights with original title in WGA and Copyright as well. The question is if I change the title or…
Q: A playwright/filmmaker in the United Kingdom optioned a portion of my self published novel to develop into a play and short film. This playwright/filmmaker renewed the option twice over several years, with a final payment due at the end of the third year and a royalty/byline promised after production. Both contracts were signed, witnessed…