Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Ronald once again looked through his business card and address book, looking for people who could help him. He still wanted to find a qualified lawyer for careful consultation. As a young man with no connections in New York, things were so painful when he encountered them.

If that doesn't work, you can only try your luck by finding some law firms in the phone book.

The business card I turned over was the agent Eddie introduced by casting director Julia Taylor. I had a conversation with him once, and my impression was that he was a rare truth-teller in the entertainment industry. He was very wild and signed many low-cost actors and models. Maybe ask him what connections he has.

"Eddie? I'm Ronald, Ronald Lee, remember me? I need some legal advice. Do you know any lawyers in the entertainment industry or intellectual property? The kind that aren't too expensive. "

"I have a good friend who I grew up with who is a lawyer and is Jewish. His name is Bobby Donnell. You can try him."

Ronald stood in front of this inconspicuous law firm. There seemed to be only one fluorescent lamp turned on inside, and the door was dark. After confirming the name "Robert Donnell \u0026 Associates" on the door plate, Ronald pushed the door open and entered.

"Hello, I want to consult lawyer Bobby Donnell about the script signature dispute. Eddie introduced me. I called in advance, but you couldn't get through on the phone, so I had to come directly to the door."

There was a young black lady at the front desk. She came forward to receive Ronald: "Oh, Bell Company is repairing the phone line, so the phone is temporarily unavailable. Lawyer Bobby is in court. What do you want to ask? We still have some questions here. Two experienced attorneys, Eugene Young, and Elena Fruter, are at your service.”

"I have a dispute over the signature of a movie script. I would like to consult." Ronald was a little suspicious. Could it be that the phone bill was not paid and was disconnected by Bell Company? And why is it so dark in here, with only one light on.

"What is the specific situation? Can you tell me first? I also graduated from law school and am taking the exam for the lawyer qualification certificate."

Ronald looked at the front desk lady: "Okay, my name is Ronald Lee.

"Rebecca" the black receptionist stretched out his hand and shook his hand.

"I worked on the set of MGM's Hot Lunch, and I had a verbal agreement with the director, but in the end they didn't give me a credit. Here's some evidence I collected. This is the final draft of the script. This is the first draft of the script I wrote. These are the list of possible witnesses.”

"Ha, Mr. Li, you are the most well-prepared among the clients of our law firm, and you are a model client."

"I went to the Kirkland Peterson Law Firm before, but they told me there was no chance. But I was unwilling to give in and wanted to find another lawyer. I could afford the consulting fee. I have a formal job as a portrait photographer."

Seeing that she was so young, the lady at the front desk was a little doubtful whether she could afford the consultation fee. Ronald quickly confirmed his ability to pay and handed over his business card.

"Okay, let me ask Lawyer Fruite who is free and can chat with you." The receptionist went into the room to call the lawyer for the sake of the consultation fee.

"I have to go to court." Lawyer Froot, a fat white woman, shouldered her bag and walked away.

"Peterson's people said there was no chance? Oral contract, not a union member, tell him to stop wasting money, I have to work on the intentional homicide case," the big black lawyer Eugene Young said to the front desk.

"I happen to be fine. I've been here for two months and I always do research and help for you. It's time for me to take on a case of my own."

A young white female lawyer took the business card from the front desk and expressed her willingness to accept the consultation, "Ronald Lee, audition portrait photographer."

"I am the official lawyer of the firm, my name is Lindsay Dole. What you want to consult is a dispute over the authorship rights of the movie script, right?"

Ronald sat on the chair in the conference room and looked at each other. Lawyer Dole is very young, with a baby face and two cute little rabbit teeth. He is very beautiful. However, he seems to have just graduated from college. As a lawyer, is he a suitable candidate for consultation?

Lindsay seemed to see Ronald's suspicion and took out a business card and handed it to him, "I graduated from Harvard Law School and passed the New York State Bar Examination in just one test. You can completely trust my professionalism." ”

"Sorry, Lawyer Dole, I shouldn't have doubted you." Ronald took the business card, and the Harvard emblem and lawyer title on it dispelled his doubts.

"If you have no objections, we can start. My consulting rate is $150 per hour." Lindsay pressed the lawyer's clock as she spoke.

After listening to Ronald's narration and checking all the files, lawyer Lindsey Dorr frowned, picked up the yellow pencil, and tapped the paper with the eraser at the other end.

"It should be said that you did something imprudent, Mr. Li. Oral contracts are not legally binding and all depend on the parties' performance."

"I was naive. I have never dealt with people from a big studio before."

"Why don't you let the Writers Guild arbitrate for you? As far as I know, as long as you have the script, their arbitration is relatively fair, and the results are mandatory, and the producers can only accept the results."

"I haven't joined the Screenwriters Guild yet. It was because the director promised me to sign the script, and in order to apply for Screenwriters Guild status with this script, I agreed to change it for him for free."

"So that's the case, then the advice Peterson gave you is reasonable."

"Why, do you also suggest that I give up my right to authorize?"

"It's too early to say this, but there's one thing I don't understand. Why are they unwilling to let you sign? As far as I know, a movie can have up to three screenwriter names, but there is only one on the script." Lawyer the lady asked.

"The director said they signed an exclusive agreement with the screenwriter."

"This is not normal, I have to check the relevant cases." The lawyer lady got up and went to the library to check related cases over the years.

After a while, lawyer Lindsey Dorr returned to the reception room with the pad of paper and said, "I found it."

With her blond hair neatly tied back, the lawyer's blue eyes sparkled with excitement: "The screenwriting of the movie is a commissioned creation. After the producer has a story, he commissions the screenwriter to write the script."

"In that case, the property rights of the script belong to the producer. He has the right to decide. He can put you, who has modified more than one-third of the script, in the signature column. The problem is that he signed the exclusive agreement, and he did not Reason for signing like this.”

"You mean, the producer is lying to me again?"

"No, what I mean is that this exclusivity agreement is very unreasonable. The producer must have received something before he was willing to pay for this exclusivity."

"I'm a little confused, Miss Dole."

"Like this", Lindsey Dole wrote two lines of words on the pad with a pencil and turned it over to show to Ronald.

"Story:"Story by

"Script:" Spay by

"These two signature methods are two different concepts in Hollywood, you know, right?"

“Yes, story is the person who comes up with a core story concept, and script is the person who actually writes the script.”

Lindsay wrote another line

"Written:" Written by Story Script

"If it is signed, it is the highest level of signature, which means that both the story and the script are written by one person. Only in this case will the screenwriter be signed by only one person."

Ronald nodded in understanding.

"But this is obviously a script where the producer came up with the story and hired the screenwriter to complete it. The screenwriter just completed a hired creative work. Logically, the signature of this script should be like this:

Lindsey Dole wrote two more lines on the pad:

Story: David da Silva

Screenplay: Christopher Gore

But why is there only this screenwriter's signature on the script?

"

"Original Screenplay: Christopher Gore"

Lawyer Lindsay Dorr pointed to the line on the cover of the script and looked at Ronald with piercing eyes.

"This? Maybe the producer doesn't care about the signature?"

"It's impossible. It's impossible for a producer to voluntarily give up any opportunity that brings him income and fame, unless he has greater interests."

"Look here again." The female lawyer pointed to the cover of the script again.

Ronald leaned forward slightly and read out: "Original script?"

"Yes, the term original screenplay is not a convention for script marking, but the name of the Oscar nomination. Maybe the producer used the exclusive opportunity to be nominated for the Oscar in exchange for some benefits from the screenwriter."

"For example: a script transfer fee that is far lower than the market price?" The female lawyer threw the pencil on the table and came to a conclusion.

"Your reasoning is very reasonable, Miss Dole, you have convinced me. But I still have a question. Are they so confident that this movie will be nominated for an Oscar?"

"This is beyond the scope of my consultation. I am just a lawyer. I can only analyze the legal issues in the contract for you. I don't understand the artistic taste of Hollywood and Oscars."

Lindsay Dorr waved his hand.

"This may be your breakthrough, Mr. Li. If the reason I guessed is true, then you will have a card in your hand that can reverse some of the disadvantages."

"Recover the disadvantage?"

"First of all, you have to separate the producer and the director. Now they still have the same interests. The producer doesn't want to go to the trouble of modifying the contract with the original author, and the director also hopes that you will sign the contract as soon as possible to help him complete the final revision of the script.

We throw this card so that their interests are inconsistent. As long as one of them feels that the benefits of solving your authorship issue are greater than the trouble of re-modifying the contract with the original author, they will help us convince the other one."

After jotting down the lawyer's strategy in his notebook, Ronald thought about it:

"I still have a question. The producer said that they have MGM's legal lawyers. I think if I follow your strategy and defeat the producer's army, he will definitely hire a lawyer to handle it. And what happens next?" Regarding the contract issue, I’m afraid they will bury me in the contract again.”

"I can accept your employment, contract negotiation plus contract review services, and my labor time fee, a total of $850 for you." The female lawyer moved her chair forward slightly, staring at Ronald with her two blue eyes.

"I still have some income from my portrait studio, so I can afford your price."

"Then it's settled. I'll wait for your call."

Female lawyer Lindsay Dole stood up and shook hands with Ronald.

"You can go to Rebecca to sign a service contract."

Satisfied with the $150 consulting fee, Ronald and Lindsey Dole left the phone and left the law firm. The two agreed to call her if negotiations with the producer progressed and a lawyer was needed to intervene.

"Yeah!" Lindsey Dole in the law firm hugged the receptionist Rebecca and took out the 150 yuan consulting fee that Ronald just paid: "Hurry up and pay the phone bill and let Bell Company restore the phone. It delays things too much.”