Submitted by: Submitted by blugo926
Views: 10
Words: 637
Pages: 3
Category: English Composition
Date Submitted: 04/14/2016 12:24 PM
Mary V. DreamWorks Pictures
In the case of Mary v. DreamWorks pictures, Mary Asher has been wrongfully discredited for the two page synopsis submitted to James Shifty who is the Vice President of Production at DreamWorks Pictures, Hollywood, California. There was no courtesy notice that the production company will be using the synopsis as a reference for a movie production coming out soon. Mary Asher spoke to James Shifty, Vice President of DreamWorks Pictures and was assured that anything she submitted would be received by him. Mary did not hear from the company regarding the synopsis and a year later, saw a preview of an upcoming movie with an identical plot of the scientist in the arctic. Due to the nature of Mary’s meeting with James Shifty, Mary might be entitled to substantial damages for the infringement.
A copyright does not protect story ideas, concepts or themes. Elements like those are not protected whether they are in a writer’s head, written down on paper, or published. Ideas are as free and some artists or writers sometimes think alike. Facts and historical documentation can be borrowed by any writer to write a similar story. What copyright law protects is the author’s expression. This can be referred to as the particular manner in which the writer tells the story, his approach to the material, his voice. In other words, what is protected is the embellishment on the idea, not the idea itself. The presentation of the idea is what is protected under copyright Law.
However, others are free to borrow elements from your work that are not copyrightable. It may be difficult to tell when an idea has been embellished or even stamped with an author’s expression. The resulting work is considered an expression of an author and protected under copyright law. A one page story synopsis is not much more than an idea. A 20 page treatment will deserve more protection, and a detailed script will garner even greater protection because it is a lot more than an idea....