Submitting an idea doesn’t mean you own it. Author, Dan Rosen, had a screenplay called “Darci’s Walk of Fame”. For those who are not ‘in the know’, the standard elements of a walk of shame are: (1) a one night stand; (2) waking up the next morning in someone else’s bed; and (3) having to walk (or taxi or Uber or Lyft) home in the clothes you wore the night before. Dan was lucky to get a meeting with actress and producer, Elizabeth Banks and her husband to present his screenplay. After discussing the plot line, characters, and themes, Banks and her husband took a pass. Not long after the meeting, Banks starred in the 2014 movie “Walk of Shame” which wasn’t exactly a box office hit. Dan’s assignee, Shame on You Productions, Inc. sued Banks, her husband, and the film’s production based on copyright infringement and an implied contract. The court applied the extrinsic test to determine if infringement occurred. The extrinsic test focuses on specific similarities between two works. Scenes a faire (standard situations that flow naturally from the plot) are disregarded. The two works shared the “walk of shame” premise and some natural elements that flowed from it, but the narratives and characters were different. Shame on You’s case was dismissed and affirmed on appeal.

WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS. When Dan submitted his idea to Banks and her husband, he believed that his idea would belong to him. But, an idea alone is not protectable by copyright. Only the expression of the idea is. This is a prime example of the problem with idea submission cases. When submitting ideas, there’s a Catch 22. It’s best to make sure that proper protections are in place. But anyone in an industry that is prone to idea submissions is reticent about accepting any unsolicited ideas or signing any idea protection documents such as non-disclosure agreements.

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