Every Writer Thinks Their Ideas Have Been Stolen - Corey Mandell

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In this Film Courage video, we ask Corey Mandell his thoughts on stolen screenplays and steps someone can/cannot take to protect their ideas and intellectual property.
Corey Mandell is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter who has written projects for Ridley Scott, Wolfgang Petersen, Harrison Ford, John Travolta, Warner Brothers, Universal, 20th Century Fox, Fox 2000, Fox Family, Working Title, Paramount, Live Planet, Beacon Films, Touchstone, Trilogy, Radiant and Walt Disney Pictures.
Corey teaches screenwriting via private online classes using video conferencing to allow participants to see and hear each other in real time. His highly popular classes draw students from across the US, Europe and Australia.
His students have gone on to sell or option scripts to Warner Brothers, Paramount, Sony Pictures, Disney, Fox, Fox 2000, MGM, Universal, USA Network and Lifetime. Others have gained admission to the USC Graduate Screenwriting Program, the AFI Conservatory Screenwriting Program and Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab.
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#screenwriting #writing #copyright

[@derekk2708]

Wow. Finally I'm Famous !!!! ... ; ) This is better than Winning Any Academy Award. ( BTW .. In my opinion .. many ..(but maybe not all) awards are now a bit 'tainted' .. because you have to hit a check list of ... well .. criteria.). Thanks Film Courage for all that you do. The 'genuine' energy that you are approaching this with... comes through in spades. ; ) (People .. get behind Film Courage .. Subscribe, Like, Click on 'join' to become a "Member' .. pay the five bucks a month to support this great content .. it matters. ).

[@filmcourage]

Thank you again Derek! We are grateful for your support. We are doing our best to put out valuable each and every day. Best of luck with your work and if you ever win the Oscar, don't forget us! 😉 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪

[@derekk2708]

@@filmcourage Haha. I promise that I won't forget you in my speech !! ... I just watched Cillian Murphy's best actor acceptance speech there on YT ... I think that he's pretty cool and that he represented us Irish very well. ( But I won't be getting any best .. or even second best actor award.. Look out for me in the Writer / Director category !!! ). Keep up the Great Work FC !. ; )

[@Rareafiedflair]

I worked for NBC in the mid-00s and had this concept about ghost hunters with a comedic take. Didn't write the script, just the idea. I told a co-worker about it in full detail. A few weeks later, a manager and I were discussing ideas, and she mentioned my concept, but she said she heard it from the co-worker I told, and he claimed it was his idea. Luckily, nothing came of it, but I learned you can not tell anyone anything. Keep your ideas to yourself.

[@DyenamicFilms]

I wrote a screenplay back in 1993 called Men in Black. Registered it with the Writers Guild (still have the certificate). I was unaware there was a comic book that came out before (not a comic book reader) and I wrote it years before the movie came out. I got the idea from a UFO encyclopedia. There was a very small paragraph on the first page I looked at about the "men in black" which I found very intriguing. Perfect movie idea. I remember reading about the movie being made and I wasn't happy of course. My script was sci fi horror, not a comedy though. My script was not very good and wasn't even close to the movie anyway. I knew the idea was cool at the time, but when the movie was being made I knew the uniqueness of the basic idea of the "men in black" as a movie was ruined. Just as I never got or stole the idea from the comic book, I knew the movie didn't "rip off" my idea either. These coincidences happen all the time.

[@dsa513]

Just change the title. Now, you can start fresh 👍🏼

[@xensonar9652]

The idea of 'men in black' was already in the cultural consciousness before Men in Black came out. It was a fairly common trope in paranormal and conspiracy culture. The movie only capitalised on the concept. You could have ridden on the same wave the movie did, with a simple title change. But I can completely relate to you. I was writing a story about a man who could regenerate called Logan. Imagine my horror when the movie Logan was released. The characters, story and world were nothing even close to the Marvel movie. It was a sci-fi thriller/body horror. And the name was taken from a guitarist in a band because I thought it sounded cool. But I scrapped it anyway. I probably could have salvaged it with a simple name change, but the collision knocked me sideways and I never had the heart to finish it. It just didn't feel like it was mine any more.

[@CyraNoavek]

"The risk is the ticket to the dance". I think that applies to lots and lots of things. Thanks for the insight!

[@chris55529]

"No one steals from an amazing writer." Boy, did I need to hear that. Thanks, bro, you've saved me endless worry!

[@corruptduboiscountyindiana5058]

If anyone ever steals my script they will be found floating in a river, or at least a vat of that green slime that kids put in their bubble bath, whatever its called, awe never mind

[@VinnyTheory]

It’s starting to sound like for big high concept fictional series it’s WAY better to just write a novel and garner a fan base and THEN get the movies funded/made

[@XxSEETH3RxX]

Hey! You stole my idea. Just kidding. But I agree.

[@Ruylopez778]

And then the fandom is divided over the casting and which bits of the book they adapted... Graphic novel would be another option. Or graphic novel, then animated series, then live action movie. Crowdfunding could work for an indie movie, too.

[@voorheesjason3161]

All I can say is that I'm 40 pages into a Werewolf movie script, and oddly enough, the more you do, the more it urges you on ... I love it. Escapism like no other. Blesses to all talents, and I pray you get your writing to film 🙏

[@mikal]

The "mail the copyright to yourself" thing doesn't work and never has. You can mail yourself an unsealed envelope, then shove someone else's new music in it 4 months later and seal it.

[@Reggie2000]

Right, and neither does emailing it, despite both having vast other legal implications. To copyright in the USA, it's like 35 bucks online, do it yourself, or more if you go through a 3rd party website needlessly. So honestly, there are no excuses in my book.

[@weekendmillionare]

Just register it with the Library of Congress. If they don't accept it, then you know there are copyright issues.

[@cnlicnli]

@@Reggie2000@Reggie2000 wrote, “…and neither does *emailing* it, despite both having vast other legal implications.” Blockchain recordation also won’t work! @Reggie2000 wrote, “To copyright *[register]* in the USA, it's like 35 bucks online…” As of March 12, 2024, the US Copyright Office (USCO) filing fee to register ONE un-/published work, including one screen-play, is $45 via the “Single Application,” aka *One Work by One Author.* To qualify for the Single Application, you must be the sole author (no joint authorships) and you must also be the copyright claimant (owner) of your screen-play. As well, your work can NOT be a-work-for-hire project (no corporation or LLC creation), and your book can NOT include any third-party creative media (including, but not limited to, Creative Commons, Public Domain, licensed content, or AI). You MUST have created the ENTIRE script yourself to qualify for the Single Application! Otherwise, use the $65 “Standard Application” to register your one work on-line. To save money on copyright registration filing fees, you can group-register from two to ten UN-published scripts via the $85 *“Group Registration of Unpublished Works” (GRUW)* on-line registration application. All works must be created by the same author or joint authors, and all of the authors must be named as copyright claimants. @Reggie2000 wrote, “do it yourself, or more if you go through a 3rd party website needlessly.” Exactly: You can prepare on-line USCO registrations yourself. Do NOT rely on third-parties to complete your registrations! @Reggie2000 wrote, “So honestly, there are no excuses in my book.” That’s so true. Timely copyright registration really counts!

[@cnlicnli]

​@@weekendmillionare wrote, “Just register it with the Library of Congress *[US Copyright Office].* If they don't accept it, then you know there are copyright issues. The US Copyright Office (USCO) will NOT read your script. Rather, a USCO Registration Specialist will conduct a quick overview of your work to make sure it fits within the scope of US copyright subject matter, among other requirements. Most all books, scripts, photographs (including selfies), drawings, music, etc. are expressive works and quite easily pass the USCO’s vetting process. Among other things, registration issues will occur if the writer ONLY used AI to create the work. As well, the USCO will not register a title/name of anything, including for books, movies, songs, etc.

[@weekendmillionare]

@@cnlicnli my mistake then thinking my script was read through before being registered. It took around 4 months from the time of online submission to getting the registration letter. Must have just been a busy period.

[@Ruylopez778]

There's also the phenomenon where you unintentionally produce something you've seen/heard before and forgotten but think it's your own idea. This happened with the melody in Reznor's A WARM PLACE and Bowie's CRYSTAL JAPAN advert.

[@gman7877able]

Thanks for providing this insight!

[@cnlicnli]

0:28 *Mailing a copy of your script back to yourself (SASE) is known as the “Poor man’s Copyright.”* Though there may be some international countries, like Nigeria, that accept the poor man’s copyright, *it has NO legal authority in US copyright law -- the poor man’s copyright is an INEFFECTIVE way to protect your work - it’s an on-going MYTH that just won’t f-ing die!* When you mail your creative work in a SASE, all you’re proving is the US Post Office can mail a letter/package back to you. And it’s easy to challenge the poor man’s copyright protection: I’ve actually mailed myself an empty SASE by folding the seal into the letter. When needed, I can then take any script, place it into the unsealed envelop, and lick it shut, and use the four-year old US Post stamp date as my proof. You can also steam-open a sealed envelope. I’m recalling copyright attorney Tad Crawford stating that in one particular copyright dispute, the defendant’s attorney accused the plaintiff (copyright owner) of tampering with the envelope. I’m certain all defendants will use this “tampering” argument to challenge the copyright owner’s poor man’s copyright authorship. As the US Copyright Office (USCO) states, “The practice of sending a copy of your own work to yourself is sometimes called a ‘poor man’s copyright.’ There is NO [emphasis added] provision in the copyright law regarding any such type of protection, and it is *NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR [COPYRIGHT] REGISTRATION* [emphasis added]. FYI: Your SASE will NOT be opened in court; you’re US copyright attorney will have to open it in his/her office to review its evidentiary authenticity, and then what? Will your attorney have to be a witness in your case? The court will dismiss your poor man’s copyright date/stamp claim without prejudice; to proceed, you’ll have to get your script officially *“registered’* with the USCO. When you write a script, you receive an automatic copyright. To enforce your automatic copyright and help *PROVE* your authorship (and its date of creation) and copyright ownership claims to a US federal judge and others, it MUST(!) be “timely” registered with the USCO, either registered as an un-published work or registered within five-years of its first-date of publication. When completing a copyright registration application, you must check a box to *“certify”* to the best of your knowledge that all the information you’ve included is correct (i.e., who’s the author of the work, who’s the copyright owner, date of creation, date of publication, etc.). If you knowingly lie or misrepresent a material issue, you’re subject up to a $2,500 FINE. Source 17 USC 506(e): False Representation [Criminal Offenses]). *The US copyright registration system is very much a vetting process to help authenticate your copyright validity.* It’s not necessarily about having a RAW or original file or unpublished manuscript that proves your copyright creation - a US federal judge MUST see your issued copyright “Certificate of Registration.” Your Certificate will include your “effective date of registration,” the OFFICIAL US government date stamp! So, you help “presumptively PROVE” your US copyright creation and corresponding copyright ownership claims by quickly registering your work with the USCO. Mailing a sealed letter back to yourself or using other “time-standing tools” (like email or via blockchain) might make you feel better, but it will not likely hold up in federal court! To have legal standing, the court *MUST* see your issued copyright Certificate of Registration to have legal standing + help prove your authorship & ownership claims. So, when someone challenges your script authorship, just show them your issued copyright Certificate of Registration -- that’s your (presumptive) legal proof (evidence) of your independent copyright creation.

[@Gunsong1]

How dare you steal my ideas. I stole them fair and square from other storytellers first.

[@XxSEETH3RxX]

I've never thought that.

[@rvalexi]

It's really weird that he gave out wrong information about copyright when he was literally a working screenwriter. Only the library of Congress registration of copyright has any force. It's outrageous that he said all that other nonsense when he knows better.

[@cnlicnli]

@rvalexi, you’re right on: Writers get lots of legal dividends if they “timely” (quickly) register their screen-plays with the US Copyright Office (USCO), including presumptive proof of a valid copyright. However, Corey Mandell did state a number of times that he’s not an attorney + writers need to conduct their own copyright research and/or contact a IP attorney to get answers.

[@Ruylopez778]

Exactly why we shouldn't fixate on "high concept" as writers, because someone has probably already done something similar, and a killer high concept in a sub par script is likely not going to get us anywhere, except exploited.

[@cnlicnli]

Copyright never protects ideas or concepts, just the creative/artistic expression of the idea. *To best protect your scripts and help prove your copyright authorship, get them IMMEDIATELY registered with the US Copyright Office.* Mailing a copy of your work back to yourself in a self-addressed-stamped envelope does NOT work - it has NO legal authority in US copyright law!

[@martaferguson-dun645]

That's what I came here to post: register w US COPYRIGHT OFFICE/Library of Congress. However, it's $125 to mail in hard copy & $45-$65 on copyright site -- but the LOC site is very temperamental. 16 character password that expires in 6 months, hard to renew. But, why would Corey advise mailing to self if it's not at all viable?

[@cnlicnli]

@@martaferguson-dun645@martaferguson-dun645 wrote, “However, it's $125 to mail in hard copy & $45-$65 on copyright site” Unless the USCO or your copyright attorney tells you otherwise, do NOT register via the paper forms (hard copies), as that can delay processing/clearing your registration by months. FYI: Writers can “group-register” from two to ten *UN-published* screenplays in one $85 on-line “Group Registration for Unpublished Works” (GRUW) application. Just don’t include any published works. @martaferguson-dun645 wrote, “but the LOC site is very temperamental. 16 character password that expires in 6 months, hard to renew.” That’s a minor issue for me! @martaferguson-dun645 wrote, “But, why would Corey advise mailing to self if it's not at all viable?” There’s just way TOO much incorrect copyright law & copyright registration information posted on-line and ESPECIALLY on KZbin. Many people mean well; it’s just that their information is wrong.

[@ewalichorowicz4614]

This is good information. I think ideas can go from a generation to a generation. And new ideas are constantly born. This world is a better place because of new ideas. ❤ Thank you so much Corey!

[@ghani666]

Wrote a short story in college about a group of humans in suspended animation being ferried to a far-off planet, until something goes wrong with one of the pods and one of the men wakes up. The ship is still 100+ years away from its destination and there’s no way for him to go back under so he’s essentially doomed to die alone. He develops a fascination with one of the female passengers and ends up waking her but pretends they both awoke at the same time. The rest of the story was about her figuring out what he did and quarantining herself away from him so now they’ll both die alone, not together. Needless to say when I saw the movie “Passengers” was coming out, I was livid. 🤷‍♂️ shit happens I guess.

[@CarmenPerez-kz6rw]

This man.

[@johnclay7644]

informative topic.

[@JasonPruett]

i have idea you can have it. remember the movie limitless tells the audience about the drug that lets you use your whole brain. how about a movie that tells the audience theres 114 chakras and most humans only activate about 5. the movie focuses on a character who has a kundalini awakening and its effects on their mind and their life and eventually as the character unlocks more very strange things begin to happen they discover a way to open a portal and leave the planet. stealing some idea is one thing but a good execution of the idea is another. i hope someone sees this and makes it a movie i'd love to watch it.

[@kwikjones1591]

WTF they only steal from subpar scripts my ass. Please. 😂

[@ThatGuyNorm]

I stopped caring about that to be honest. All I do is make sure several people I trust read it, then I pay for a couple of proffesional reads to make sure I have a paper trail.

[@sAv_Doll]

ideas are like butt holes, everyone's got one. so what are you going to do?!

[@ogelsmogel]

I've got several buttholes.

[@ceceerider222]

Strongly suggest you interview an entertainment attorney about Copyright and registration. Below is a good YT video on how to copyright your screenplay correctly. Steve Vondran: How To Copyright a Screenplay by Attorney Steve®

[@pc-bh2in]

I think the french word is "scènes à faire" but I might be wrong.

[@MeatCatCheesyBlaster]

Amy Schumer would call it 'parallel thinking'

[@cnlicnli]

You’re correct, it’s “scènes à faire”!

[@keiithjohnson8586]

My idea is similar to beekeeper but today's reality also genre are crime drama. It's fiction but it can save alot life also. Working on treatment but I always struggling with first draft but I'm good with 3rd act and Climax.

[@adventurefilmclub2549]

There's no such thing as an original idea, just an original way of executing an idea hundreds if not thousands of other people have had too. Writers and filmmakers are an especially sensitive and egotistical bunch, and it's easier to say 'I had that idea first, they stole it' than 'my idea wasn't executed well enough'...

[@DARKLYLIT]

It may be that they both have lame, comic book concepts, but watch the first "Avengers" film(2012) and then "Justice League" (2017). They're the same film, just different characters. Then again...pretty much ALL Marvel films are the same film.🤣👎💩💩

[@keiithjohnson8586]

Corey let's collab on something crazy I have idea that can bring alot attention. I need 2 collab bcz I'm still learning writer graduated in 23 but still feel like long way to go bcz of all layered ...

[@jamesbelton668]

You want to collaborate?

[@keiithjohnson8586]

@@jamesbelton668 absolutely 💯

[@Ruylopez778]

Probably best to contact him through his own website and schedule some mentoring time. I doubt he's reading these comments. Also, I just thought of a video with Tim Grahl (maybe talking to Shawn Coyne?) about how to get mentors. His advice was basically to bring something to the table that is worth their time (i.e. 'be useful' rather than just wanting something for free) and to listen carefully to what they say and actually follow through on it. Then you contact them again and show them what you learned, the action that you took, and that demonstrates that you take their advice seriously and offer some kind of benefit to them in return. And they are more likely to come back to you, knowing you're a reliable and earnest person. I don't know if that helps at all.

[@keiithjohnson8586]

@@Ruylopez778 thanks alot Appreciate it your valuable opinion.

[@keiithjohnson8586]

@@jamesbelton668 yes sir 🙌