Protecting a show idea?

Horse Feathers · External Since: Sep 24, 2009 Posts: 3

Hi folks,

A friend is going to show a reality show idea of mine to a production
company. Apart from me registering the idea with the WGA, is there
anything I can do before he shows them the idea to try to protect it
from being stolen by the prodco? (Or, I guess, to try to bolster my
claim to the idea, should they steal it.) I.e., ask them to sign
something?

Thanks...

H

MC · External Since: Jan 06, 2005 Posts: 4169

In article <h9g8l3$roe$1@reader1.panix.com>,
Horse Feathers <horsefeatherz88 DeleteThis @gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi folks,
>
> A friend is going to show a reality show idea of mine to a production
> company. Apart from me registering the idea with the WGA, is there
> anything I can do before he shows them the idea to try to protect it
> from being stolen by the prodco? (Or, I guess, to try to bolster my
> claim to the idea, should they steal it.) I.e., ask them to sign
> something?
>
> Thanks...
>
> H

First question:

What kind of written agreement do you have with your friend?

--

"If you can, tell me something happy."
- Marybones

Horse Feathers · External Since: Sep 24, 2009 Posts: 3

On Sep 24, 2:18 pm, MC <copes....RemoveThis@mapca.inter.net> wrote:
> In article <h9g8l3$ro...@reader1.panix.com>,
> Horse Feathers <horsefeather....RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Hi folks,
>
> > A friend is going to show a reality show idea of mine to a production
> > company. Apart from me registering the idea with the WGA, is there
> > anything I can do before he shows them the idea to try to protect it
> > from being stolen by the prodco? (Or, I guess, to try to bolster my
> > claim to the idea, should they steal it.) I.e., ask them to sign
> > something?
>
> > Thanks...
>
> > H
>
> First question:
>
> What kind of written agreement do you have with your friend?

I'd rather not quote the memorandum agreement in full, but it was
written by an entertainment attorney a few years ago. In brief, it
states that my friend, who's a TV director, "has expressed sufficient
interest in the [series] to meet with one or more production companies
to produce a television series based on the [idea]," and that he
"agrees to use all reasonable efforts to procure one or more
responsible and reputable production companies to produce and/or
underwrite the production of such a [series]," and in turn I agree
that he "is my director of choice for a series based on the [idea]
produced or underwritten by any such production company(ies) procured
by [him]," and if that can't happen then I agree to try to get him one
of the following goodies instead, etc. etc. There's a bunch of other
language and caveats and definitions, etc., but that's the gist of
it. (I no longer have access to that attorney, or else I'd approach
him with this. I'm just trying to get a general sense of how/what I
may want to do.)

H

MC · External Since: Jan 06, 2005 Posts: 4169

In article <h9gedq$57d$1@reader1.panix.com>,
Horse Feathers <horsefeatherz88.RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Sep 24, 2:18 pm, MC <copes....RemoveThis@mapca.inter.net> wrote:
> > In article <h9g8l3$ro...@reader1.panix.com>,
> > Horse Feathers <horsefeather....RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Hi folks,
> >
> > > A friend is going to show a reality show idea of mine to a production
> > > company. Apart from me registering the idea with the WGA, is there
> > > anything I can do before he shows them the idea to try to protect it
> > > from being stolen by the prodco? (Or, I guess, to try to bolster my
> > > claim to the idea, should they steal it.) I.e., ask them to sign
> > > something?
> >
> > > Thanks...
> >
> > > H
> >
> > First question:
> >
> > What kind of written agreement do you have with your friend?
>
> I'd rather not quote the memorandum agreement in full, but it was
> written by an entertainment attorney a few years ago. In brief, it
> states that my friend, who's a TV director, "has expressed sufficient
> interest in the [series] to meet with one or more production companies
> to produce a television series based on the [idea]," and that he
> "agrees to use all reasonable efforts to procure one or more
> responsible and reputable production companies to produce and/or
> underwrite the production of such a [series]," and in turn I agree
> that he "is my director of choice for a series based on the [idea]
> produced or underwritten by any such production company(ies) procured
> by [him]," and if that can't happen then I agree to try to get him one
> of the following goodies instead, etc. etc. There's a bunch of other
> language and caveats and definitions, etc., but that's the gist of
> it. (I no longer have access to that attorney, or else I'd approach
> him with this. I'm just trying to get a general sense of how/what I
> may want to do.)
>
> H

Okay. That sounds like you've covered the bases.

In general I'd say it's a bad idea to ask a production entity to sign
any kind of agreement along the lines you're thinking about. They get
INUNDATED with ideas, and if you ask for something like that it's
tantamount to saying you don't trust them.

Sooner or later you simply have to expose your idea. Best thing is to
register it with the WGA, and the Library of Congress (if you have time)
- and not worry about ripoffs.

--

"If you can, tell me something happy."
- Marybones

Horse Feathers · External Since: Sep 24, 2009 Posts: 3

On Sep 24, 2:52 pm, MC <copes....TakeThisOut@mapca.inter.net> wrote:
> In article <h9gedq$57...@reader1.panix.com>,
> Horse Feathers <horsefeather....TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > On Sep 24, 2:18 pm, MC <copes....TakeThisOut@mapca.inter.net> wrote:
> > > In article <h9g8l3$ro...@reader1.panix.com>,
> > > Horse Feathers <horsefeather....TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > > Hi folks,
>
> > > > A friend is going to show a reality show idea of mine to a production
> > > > company. Apart from me registering the idea with the WGA, is there
> > > > anything I can do before he shows them the idea to try to protect it
> > > > from being stolen by the prodco? (Or, I guess, to try to bolster my
> > > > claim to the idea, should they steal it.) I.e., ask them to sign
> > > > something?
>
> > > > Thanks...
>
> > > > H
>
> > > First question:
>
> > > What kind of written agreement do you have with your friend?
>
> > I'd rather not quote the memorandum agreement in full, but it was
> > written by an entertainment attorney a few years ago. In brief, it
> > states that my friend, who's a TV director, "has expressed sufficient
> > interest in the [series] to meet with one or more production companies
> > to produce a television series based on the [idea]," and that he
> > "agrees to use all reasonable efforts to procure one or more
> > responsible and reputable production companies to produce and/or
> > underwrite the production of such a [series]," and in turn I agree
> > that he "is my director of choice for a series based on the [idea]
> > produced or underwritten by any such production company(ies) procured
> > by [him]," and if that can't happen then I agree to try to get him one
> > of the following goodies instead, etc. etc. There's a bunch of other
> > language and caveats and definitions, etc., but that's the gist of
> > it. (I no longer have access to that attorney, or else I'd approach
> > him with this. I'm just trying to get a general sense of how/what I
> > may want to do.)
>
> > H
>
> Okay. That sounds like you've covered the bases.
>
> In general I'd say it's a bad idea to ask a production entity to sign
> any kind of agreement along the lines you're thinking about. They get
> INUNDATED with ideas, and if you ask for something like that it's
> tantamount to saying you don't trust them.
>
> Sooner or later you simply have to expose your idea. Best thing is to
> register it with the WGA, and the Library of Congress (if you have time)
> - and not worry about ripoffs.
>
> --
>
> "If you can, tell me something happy."
> - Marybones

Thanks!