Securing the idea to a TV programme

[denislawsbackheel]

according to this you can't copyright the idea for a tv show.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.lawdit.co.uk/reading_room/room/view_article.asp?name=../articles/Can%20the%20Format%20of%20a%20Television%20Programme%20Attract%20Copyright%20Protection.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.lawdit.co.uk/reading_room/ro ... ection.htm</a>

and even more here

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6255457/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6255457/</a>

 

[Televators]

tamper proof envelope and keep it sealed

Trouble is, I reckon if I posted an open envelope to myself it would get here no problem. If I did that today on the off chance and then say, in 12 months, I nicked a new idea off someone, it would be possible to bung some papers in and seal it.

A lot of hassle, but ultimately not impossible. How would I be able to prove that it's not what I did?

There must be more secure ways.

 

[Blue4ever85]

tamper proof envelope and keep it sealed

Trouble is, I reckon if I posted an open envelope to myself it would get here no problem. If I did that today on the off chance and then say, in 12 months, I nicked a new idea off someone, it would be possible to bung some papers in and seal it.

A lot of hassle, but ultimately not impossible. How would I be able to prove that it's not what I did?

There must be more secure ways.

Give the paperwork to a trusted individual who can vouch for you?

 

[stony]

tamper proof envelope and keep it sealed

Trouble is, I reckon if I posted an open envelope to myself it would get here no problem. If I did that today on the off chance and then say, in 12 months, I nicked a new idea off someone, it would be possible to bung some papers in and seal it.

A lot of hassle, but ultimately not impossible. How would I be able to prove that it's not what I did?

There must be more secure ways.

Too honest for my own good, that's my problem.

 

[Televators]

tamper proof envelope and keep it sealed

Trouble is, I reckon if I posted an open envelope to myself it would get here no problem. If I did that today on the off chance and then say, in 12 months, I nicked a new idea off someone, it would be possible to bung some papers in and seal it.

A lot of hassle, but ultimately not impossible. How would I be able to prove that it's not what I did?

There must be more secure ways.

Give the paperwork to a trusted individual who can vouch for you?

What, like my mum? :)

I don't know how you do it, but the website I posted the link to, along with those from Masterwig, should hopefully give scall1 all the info he needs relating to the protection of his idea.

 

[Blue4ever85]

Yeah lol.

 

[tueartsboots]

I'll ask the missus later, she lived with a writer for 14 years and is in the industry

 

[zeusbheld]

You don't need to apply for copyright.

Copyright automatically applies to something if it is your idea. You might need a bit of proof as evidence so posting it to yourself is a good idea but other than a bit of evidence there is nothing else you have to do.

true about the automatic part, but be aware that you cannot copyright or otherwise own an idea. for anything. you can only copyright the expression of an idea.

that said, what you'd need to do is write a treatment and a pitch. a treatment is just a summary of the story, in prose, 1 to 12 pages approximately. a pitch is just a brief description of the show, what the story's about, why it's interesting, and why it's right for whoever you're pitching to.

in your position, given that you don't seem inclined to actually write a pilot (first episode), you might want to try to find someone who writes for TV, and has good contacts, and pitch it to them, and then let them run with it. you might not see any money if you go that route and it gets made, however. ideas for movies and TV are a dime a dozen, sad to say. good scripts are gold.

good luck with it. you should follow through. the odds are miserable but you never know...

 

[tueartsboots]

From the Missus: That's pretty much all he has to do. Send it in a sealed envelope and do not open it. When he sends a copy to a production company he should ask for an acknowledgement. The fact that he said it's an Alan Partridge type programme does rather imply that it's not a thoroughly original idea so may have difficulty actually claiming ownership.

Trust me, she DOES know what she is talkng about

 

[scall11]

Cheers guys! When I said 'Alan Partridge style programme idea', I didn't mean a programme like Alan Partridge, I was referring to when he always pulls out a dictaphone and records "Idea for a programme, monkey tennis. Tennis with monkeys" etc.

I might email the document to myself. Burn it onto a CD, and send the paper copy recorded deliery. That's probably the easiest and cheapest option. But to be honest, my idea is fair simple, it's following a theme already done in a tv programme, but a different well, focus using the programme style if you will. The production company I'm writing to already produces the programme series in question, so it's fairly straight forward. Can be summed up in about two sentences. But the idea I've got is for charity, so I'm not in it for profit. I just want to prove it was my idea so I can simply get credit for it, and hopefully watch as....well, that'd be giving it away wouldn't it? He he!