Legal Question in Entertainment Law in New York

Re: Possible Lawsuit

I am sorry to hear about your situation. The first item I would offer is if you anticipate a legal dispute of any nature, you should immediately register the teleplay with the Copyright office. This will put you in a far better position to rectify any attempt by the employer to get away with a rip off.

Also, be sure to preserve any communications (e.g., emails) you have with the employer with regard to your relationship, especially payment and submission.

Finally, if in fact this is clear non-payment situation, I would send a letter/email immediately demanding return of the teleplay and making clear that the employer has no rights to exploit it whatsoever.

Re: Possible Lawsuit

You indicate that you were "contracted" to do the 4 shows. If you mean you have a written contract the language of the agreement would govern to the extent it was applicable. If there were no contract, you still would be protected insofar as copyright law is concerned and, as my colleague advised, you should spend the $45 and register your script in the Copyright Office. If they copy your script without the right to do so, yeah, you have a lawsuit but why not protect yourself now and consult an attorney who can better help you with your situation. There are enough attorneys at this site who can help but be prepared to pay a fee to get the kind of help you need. If you're prepared to sue someone, you'll be paying far less to prevent a lawsuit by doing a few basic things.