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I had two screenplays stolen. Defendants used my material and won major movie awards. Disguised theft by changing copyright date

Asked over 2 years ago - Los Angeles, CA

Two screenplays in pre-production, handed out by a state film office, (without permission), to successful production company. At first they stole themes which obviously derails pre-production, (devastating but not illegal). More recently, March 2008, defendants started stealing my unique characters, props, locations, and exact product placement for a network television show. Investigation Reopened: To disguise the (alleged) theft for a major hit movie (approximately $1.191 billion in total media sales), defendants and the major studio signed and registered the 'Shooting Draft' with the wrong copyright date. This fooled me for years. Even the copyright office did not catch this and said suspicious. Fraud? My stuff won major awards for defendants & studio. Also used for ads. (Case 99% done)

Additional information
(The FBI and others have a copy of this case for security and power of attorney). I realize there is a three year 'Statute-of Limitations' even though the U.S. Constitution says my intellectual property is mine for my lifetime plus seventy years. I was notified during September 2007 at a studio meeting during the week I attended the Emmy Awards, that in fact my material had been allegedly stolen. I reopened the investigation and found out that the copyright date for the 'Shooting Draft' had no specific month or day as required by law? Case 99% done. We also have confessions from two defendants 'Directors Commentaries' to 'stealing a lot of stuff from people' and right before my scene starts.

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Attorney answers (2)

Pamela Koslyn

Reputation Level 20

Answered over 2 years ago. Intellectual Property Law Attorney in Los Angeles, CA.

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Obviously something like this can't be answered on Avvo, it's got far too much history and accumulated detail for this forum.

See an entertainment litigator to lay everything out and get your case, or cases, evaluated.

Disclaimer: Please note that this answer does not constitute legal advice, and should not be relied on, since each state has different laws, each situation is fact specific, and it is impossible to evaluate a legal problem without a comprehensive consultation and review of all the facts and documents at issue. This answer does not create an attorney-client relationship

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Daniel Nathan Ballard

Reputation Level 18

Answered over 2 years ago. Intellectual Property Law Attorney in Sacramento, CA.

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“Definition of a victim: a person to whom life happens.” Peter McWilliams

As Ms. Koslyn notes, you need to sit down with an entertainment attorney to discuss your concerns.

Hopefully you will find an attorney who is brutally direct with you to disabuse you of your obvious mindset that this matter is black and white -- NONE are, and whether you admit it, or even acknowledge it, the alleged wrongdoers will be able to offer colorable arguments that no wrong has occurred and that you're entitled to nothing.

I doubt you will take this heart but so be it: your emotion and inflammatory rhetoric will significantly get in the way of any resolution of this matter. While there may be an emotional benefit to you, the legal conclusions made along the way toward resolution are not influenced AT ALL by your self-righteous, victimization banter. In fact, if you continue along those lines few attorneys will take you seriously and many will choose not to become involved with you. So my suggestion is for you to tone it down and, objectively, lay out the facts to an entertainment attorney.

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