how can i copywrite a show concept?

well you already know im trying to do this webseries. i want to pitch it to people but i dont want people to take my idea and make money off of it. thats the reason i dont tell people the name or concept of the show cause i dont want nobody and i mean nobody making money off my idea.
 
You can't copyright an idea. Ideally you'd have them sign an agreement whereby they'd agree not to steal your idea or tell anyone else about it. I know of a big TV network that stole someone's ideas for comedy bits so don't trust ANYONE.

Register it with the Library of Congress anyway. Sometimes it's a gray area as to what is an idea and what is intellectual property.
 
True.

You cannot copyright an idea. Or a show concept.
Imagine if someone had been able to copyright the
concept of a funny family and their crazy situations.
Or roommates and all their crazy situations. Or a
show about doctors in an emergency room of a big
city hospital.

You are going to have a VERY difficult time pitching
a show if you won't tell anyone the title or what it's
about.
 
True.

You cannot copyright an idea. Or a show concept.
Imagine if someone had been able to copyright the
concept of a funny family and their crazy situations.
Or roommates and all their crazy situations. Or a
show about doctors in an emergency room of a big
city hospital.

You are going to have a VERY difficult time pitching
a show if you won't tell anyone the title or what it's
about.

but how am i supposed to do that if people take my idea. i done wrote the script but it dont mean nothing if people come through and still the concept of the show. i aint sayin its a funny family or doctors in an e.r. but it does have that twist that makes the show and i dont want nobody to take that twist. so how am i supposed to pitch it to people with out them taking the twist?
 
but how am i supposed to do that if people take my idea. i done wrote the script but it dont mean nothing if people come through and still the concept of the show. i aint sayin its a funny family or doctors in an e.r. but it does have that twist that makes the show and i dont want nobody to take that twist. so how am i supposed to pitch it to people with out them taking the twist?
Despite what people like Blade believe, there isn't much
stealing of ideas.

However, if you feel your idea is so exceptional that it will
be stolen rather than paid for, you are stuck in a very difficult
place. You have a twist that is so unique that you feel it will
be stolen and others will make a lot of money from it. So you
can't tell any one. So you can't pitch it to anyone. You are
going to have to make the series yourself so no one steals it.
 
Despite what people like Blade believe, there isn't much
stealing of ideas.

However, if you feel your idea is so exceptional that it will
be stolen rather than paid for, you are stuck in a very difficult
place. You have a twist that is so unique that you feel it will
be stolen and others will make a lot of money from it. So you
can't tell any one. So you can't pitch it to anyone. You are
going to have to make the series yourself so no one steals it.

This is a tough one. I was going to suggest that he scrapes enough money together for a pilot, thinking that if he pitched it, that who he was pitching it to was more likely to go with the idea rather than hijack it?

Yet if it's such a golden idea, I'm starting to think they would cut the middle man out...yourself...and make the thing for themselves. So yeah, I'm all out of ideas seeing as you're unable to tell us anything about it or who it's target audience is.

Webseries comes to mind, but it's a shot in the dark seeing as i have no idea what it's about.

What do you think @Rik?
 
I'll be the ass here:
Just get over your fear of people stealing your ideas because it will happen and happen often it's a way of life, that's why we have so many medical dramas on TV and the same old horror movies year in and year out. Also just because you think it's a great idea doesn't mean anyone else will and that means there is a chance that no one will steal your idea.

Keep this fear up and you will never make anything. And this fear will keep you from getting better as writer since you won't be asking for feedback on your stuff since don't want anyone knowing your ideas for fear of them stealing them.
 
Tell ya what.

Post the idea here, we will all promise to tell you its stupid, it sucks you have no chance.. that way when it DOES get stolen you wont fell so bad. Just Kidding.. :)

Ideas are cheap.. you'll think of another.

If you only have one great idea, you'd better find another line of work anyway.

You could RIP out he hook. If its still a good story, and in my mind great story's don't revolve around clever hooks, they revolve around universal constants, pitch that hookles story. If you get a positive response, after the contracts are signed, and they pick up you up as a writer for the series, you can FLOOR them with the awesome hook.
 
I should explain

Ideas are cheap.. you'll think of another.

The people around you, the teeming masses, aren't brainless morons with no imagination. Everyone is having ideas, with SO MANY people, odds are that SOME of them are having great ideas. You might say "well only a select few have truly great ideas" to which I would offer "do the math" If only a select few can have great ideas, then how is it possible that the MASSES of humanity respond and accept these great ideas? If great ideas were beyond the reach of mere mortals, how then can they understand your idea enough to know that you indeed have a great idea?

The difference between you and them, between creation and consumption, is the ABILITY, and the WILL, to capture that idea, to pin it down, clean it up and make it shine.
 
im feeling what yall sayin. i have many other ideas for shows and i also thought well they still wont be able to make it like me but fuck that. im selfish. any of yall know where i can find the thread where somebody said to get financing ask people for a dollar?
 
Like other people have said you can't copyright an idea but if you have a script, even an unfinished one then that will be covered by copyright law. write down your ideas and then show them to people in copyright infringement cases you need to prove that you came up with the idea first so you should tell people about it or post a draft script on a forum maybe so that you can prove the date you came up with the idea.

Al

http://www.cameronmusic.co.uk
 
Like other people have said you can't copyright an idea but if you have a script, even an unfinished one then that will be covered by copyright law. write down your ideas and then show them to people in copyright infringement cases you need to prove that you came up with the idea first so you should tell people about it or post a draft script on a forum maybe so that you can prove the date you came up with the idea.

Al

http://www.cameronmusic.co.uk

great idea. ill do that.
 
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