Legal Question in Business Law in California

I wrote a script for a movie and presented it to a film company. The company told me it was no good and they would not produce it. A year later they end up producing a movie with my idea what type of contract if any did we have?


Asked on 1/06/10, 6:54 am

4 Answers from Attorneys

Jonathan Reich De Castro, West, Chodorow, Glickfeld & Nass, Inc.

You are not the first person this has happened to. There have been many cases in this area and you should consult with an expert in entertainment law.

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Answered on 1/11/10, 12:01 pm

To answer your question, you had no contract at all. What you have is misappropriation of your intellectual property. Mr. Reich is correct that you should consult an expert entertainment lawyer.

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Answered on 1/11/10, 12:07 pm
Terry A. Nelson Nelson & Lawless

You didn't say you had a contract. You may have a claim for misappropriation of your ideas. Such suits are frequently based on facts like yours. You'll have to prove your case, but if you have evidence to back up what you say, you may be able to.

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Answered on 1/11/10, 12:29 pm
Gordon Firemark Law Offices of Gordon P. Firemark

Another word for "contract" is "agreement". You don't say whether there was any express or implied agreement or understanding with the company.

Generally, "Ideas" are as free as the air we breathe. Unless you submitted the material with some kind of agreement in place, or some other special relationship at work, you GAVE them the idea.

If they ASKED you to write the script, you may have some basis for a complaint, but if you did it 'on spec', it;'s doubtful you'd get anywhere claiming there's a contract unless there's actually something in writing.

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Answered on 1/11/10, 3:51 pm


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