I just saw this post by a comedy writer on another comedy forum, that might be of interest:
Stealing ideas
This arguement goes around a lot, in the long run it really doesn't pay off to steal material and doesn't happen to much, from what I know.
If you write in a certain style people can see a mile away if you've stolen someones work.
Blimey Charley!
I've been involved with the Writers' Guild of Great Britain for many years, and 'someone stole my idea' is one of the most frequent complaints I've been asked to deal with. In just about every case I've ever come across, my line has been this:
1) you can never prove it, the other person can always claim to have had the idea simultaneously and
2) if you are a half decent comedy writer and you manage to make a living out of it, someone somewhere will nick your ideas. It happens, you have to accept it and move on.
However, Jim's is the first I've ever come across where he does seem to have a strong argument, which is why the Writers' Guild are looking into it. I won't go into too much detail, Jim has chosen to go public and that's his prerogative - but I think his case is an exceptional one, and I would certainly not use it as an example to show that the BBC cannot be trusted. All I can say as an individual is that in my experience the BBC is generally the organisation least likely to nick your ideas.
Hope that clears things up.
Dave Cohen
From the article that he links to, it doesn't sound like a case of an idea being "stolen", so much as bought and then refurbished.
He says he was commissioned to write a pilot, and was paid for his work. I would imagine that the commission entailed signing the rights to that work over to the BBC (unless he negotiated a deal whereby he still owned the original concept, but I'm not sure how likely that is).
If the BBC owned the rights but didn't feel that the existing pilot was working, and yet could be made to work by another writer, I'd assume they have the right to hire someone else to rewrite the project. I don't know if you can really claim "ownership" of an idea once somebody has given you money for it.
But maybe I'm wrong. Do any agents or lawyers read these forums?
Spot on Mike.
In a roundabout way, the stealing ideas has happened to me twice. Once was a sketch I wrote that wasn't used at the time in favour of another one by someone else, yet in the Christmas special, my sketch appeared almost word for word without any credit. In this case I just hoped it was a case of it slipping into the subconscious or someone just having the same train of thought months later, so I didn't do anything about it.
The other was when I worked as a Development Researcher, I pitched an idea to a production company, they liked it enough to call me in for a meeting but I wasn't really happy with their terms so I took it elsewhere, and although it never got made, it opened up other doors in my career. Six or seven months later I turned on the TV and there was my idea, by the same production company but tweaked just enough so I couldn't do anything about it. I think lifting, stealing and copying is more prevalent in production companies specialising in Features and Factual Entertainment, and the ethics are different and shall we say, purer, in Comedy.
It's not clear if the BBC asked him to write a treatment based on his idea, or one they already had.
Didn't someone on here already have the idea of 'new' Rising Damp? Doesn't seem like the idea alone is enough to call plagarism.
Quote: Mike Greybloke @ October 14 2008, 2:39 PM BSTBut maybe I'm wrong. Do any agents or lawyers read these forums?
Agents only read the wine list at The Ivy.
When I worked in fashion I was sometimes photographed at the catwalk shows; sometimes this was by other fashion publications but sometimes it was by trend-hunters. Once I was snapped wearing a rather unusual hat I'd got from a charity shop. About a year later a certain high street fashion store was selling a very similar hat in the same colour. I was a bit peeved.
Funnily enough though no one ever copied the leather trousers I customised with plastic toy cats eyes...
Quote: Dolly Dagger @ October 14 2008, 3:19 PM BSTWhen I worked in fashion I was sometimes photographed at the catwalk shows; sometimes this was by other fashion publications but sometimes it was by trend-hunters. Once I was snapped wearing a rather unusual hat I'd got from a charity shop. About a year later a certain high street fashion store was selling a very similar hat in the same colour. I was a bit peeved.
Keith Richards once said, "There only one song and Adam wrote it; we all steal from that song".
But then again, he did take a lot of drugs.
Adam Faith? He was good, but people often forget it was Peter Polycarpou, not him, who sang the Love Hurts theme tune.
Quote: Graham Bandage @ October 14 2008, 3:29 PM BST
Where's the Hat Wearer's Guild to help me, eh? I became quite a bitter hat wearer after that incident. Now I only wear hats in the privacy of my own home, where nobody can copy them for their own gains.
Quote: willie garvin @ October 14 2008, 3:54 PM BSTAdam Faith? He was good, but people often forget it was Peter Polycarpou, not him, who sang the Love Hurts theme tune.
I thought he was referring to Mr Ant. Every song is actually a version of 'Stand and Deliver'.
Quote: Dolly Dagger @ October 14 2008, 2:16 PM BSTI just saw this post by a comedy writer on another comedy forum, that might be of interest:
It's difficult for any of us to have a real opinion on this as the only people who know what truly went on are Jim and the BBC, and possibly Simon Nye. Although it does seem strange that a writer is taking things this far, 'no smoke without fire' springs to mind, but who knows?!