{"id":657,"date":"2009-10-06T12:55:01","date_gmt":"2009-10-06T18:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/firemark.com\/?p=657"},"modified":"2009-10-13T20:50:05","modified_gmt":"2009-10-14T02:50:05","slug":"asked-answered-should-a-writing-team-wait-to-have-an-agreement-among-themselves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firemark.com\/2009\/10\/06\/asked-answered-should-a-writing-team-wait-to-have-an-agreement-among-themselves\/","title":{"rendered":"Asked & Answered: Should a writing team wait to have an agreement among themselves?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"q\"“Asked and Answered” is an occasional feature of this blog.\u00a0 From time to time, I'll answer some of the most frequently asked questions I receive in my practice. <\/em><\/p>\n

This is intended as general information only and\u00a0 does not establish an attorney-client relationship.\u00a0 It is not a substitute for a private, independent consultation with an attorney selected to advise you after a full investigation of the facts and law relevant to your matter.\u00a0 We will not be responsible for readers' detrimental reliance upon the information appearing in this feature.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I'm currently working on a screenplay with four other screenwriters.\u00a0 We are in the beginning stages of character\/plot development.\u00a0 Should we have a legal contract drawn up to protect us against theft or should we wait until the screenplay is optioned before we think about the legal aspects?\u00a0 We don't have a screenplay as of yet, so I figured we shouldn't worry too much, but we are accomplishing more towards completion with each meeting we attend (currently every Saturday).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A:\u00a0 This is a very important question.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Don't wait.\u00a0\u00a0 I believe that every time writers work together to create material, they should have a carefully thought-out collaboration agreement.\u00a0 It's not about protecting yourselves against theft\u00a0 (Copyright Law takes care of that).\u00a0 The purpose of a collaboration agreement is to articulate the nature and scope of the relationship, ownership, creative and business controls over the material created.<\/p>\n

Essentially, a writing collaboration is a business partnership, and in some ways, a bit like a marriage. The collaboration agreement is the ‘prenuptial' agreement.\u00a0 It sets forth the rights of the parties and the procedures to be followed if the relationship breaks down, or if one of the collaborators dies or becomes incapable of finishing the work.<\/p>\n

On my theatre law blog (http:\/\/theatrelawyer.com) I've written a series of blog posts, (linked below) that outline this in greater depth.\u00a0 Although those posts are directed at theatre collaborations, many of the issues and principles discussed apply to film and television writing teams as well.<\/p>\n