Interesting legal case in France

Question

The scenario: 3 writers come up with a comedy about parents that can't get rid of an adult child. They send it to a producer who passes, but not before checking with a successful director and his scriptwriter. These two then come up with a film with the same premise and a number of similarities. Writers grumble, and then sue (the resulting film "Tanguy" was a hit).
HOWEVER: the court rules that "Tanguy" does not breach copyright but that the producer breached confidentiality by showing it to the director.

This ruling will doubtless be appealed, but I thought it shows unusual logic. I would have been happy to have the director in question read the piece if it was mine. It might lead to French producers following the "requested submission" route. Any thoughts?
M

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Any thoughts?[/nq]
Sounds like the ruling is appropriate. They didn't copy the screenplay,
they stole the idea. Pitch meetings are NDA by default. Submitted works should be, too. And yes, the French should be using the same system we are, if they want to avoid stealing things that don't belong to them.
The only problem with this system is that it means that if someone brings you an idea that you later get from someone else, you have to compensate the first one as well. Which means you need to keep track of them all well enough to know how many have given you that idea since you started asking for ideas.
But that's the price of asking for ideas instead of leaning back in your chair and dreaming up your own ideas.
And there will be a reasonable defense of someone pitches you an idea you already own (own, not "heard from this other guy"), if you can document them in a log of some sort. Something like a chemist's notebook would be sufficient (n.b.: that's why chemists do that; so the evidence of prior art is strong).
What we're talking about here is bringing the business of story-selling up to the same level of responsibility that other money-making, idea- based businesses already maintain. Fast-and-loose isn't going to cut it any more.
Writers learned long ago to register their work to help with valuation of partial contribution to a collaborative venture. It's time for Producers to get on the same track.
This would all make a suck movie. There's going to have to be a slapstick subplot and a car-chase in there.
Blair

Usenet · Answer

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[nq:1]they stole the idea. Pitch meetings are NDA by default. Submitted[/nq]
Do you have anything substantive to back up that claim?
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Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]The scenario: 3 writers come up with a comedy about parents that can't get rid of an adult child.[/nq]
Heh, I thought this was called FAILURE TO LAUNCH.

Interesting legal case in France

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