Jim Hill of Jim Hill Media gets "escorted" out of DL

[screnwriter]

Don't get too cocky about it. Records show that Walt considered opening either a land or a second gate themed to California back in the 1960s!

Of course, *Walt* was wise enough to trash the idea....

Oh, my post was VERY tongue in cheek! Actually, I'm a pretty sure that nobody saw my idea, becuase someone would probably have blamed me by now!

BTW - who all remembers that just as DCA was starting, the company was talking about a THIRD gated attraction for Disneyland? Remember? Of course, if Eisner hadn't been so conceited to think he was Walt's equal, and capable of creating a whole park, he'd have made a "one ticket - two parks" from the beginning. After all, you can't physically be in two parks at the same time, so you'd spend half day in one, half in another, moving back and forth, and both parks would have been filled to capacity from day one, and billions earned instead of billions wasted.

Typical Eisner thinking that he didn't do that.

[Main Streeter]

BTW - who all remembers that just as DCA was starting, the company was talking about a THIRD gated attraction for Disneyland? Remember?

Third park was to be a water park. Saw this on the board in my "used to be" area. Think it was going to be on Harbor where the strawberry fields were. I miss those sweet strawberries!

[leftcoaster]

Well, Screenwriter, you wouldn't be the first who got a major idea co-opted and transformed by the company. They stole Fantasmic from a major proposal by someone who is associated with the company, but never worked inhouse for Imagineering. The guy still does things on spec for the company - he could have sued for millions, but preferred to keep a good working relationship with them. We saw him at a Pixar Block Party dress rehearsal, so he's still cooperating with them. To tell the truth, his original proposal was much better, but once you let them keep your piece of paper, it's theirs and there's nothing you can do about it.

While I agree that if you submit an idea, you should be compensated for it, take a look at the wackos that are suing not just Disney, but any other corporation because "so-so company 'stole' their idea."

I'm not sure exactly how to do it, but my guess is that if you have some idea for a company, it's best to have your idea legally copywrited before you submit it. If said company likes your idea that much, they will either pay you handsomely for it, or change one little aspect of it and call it their own.

And, with most companies, when you are hired, you sign an agreement that "any discoveries belong to the company." That is especially true in any research (and design) type companies. Why? Because you were/are using their facilities when you made your discovery. That is also why you must use a page numbered, bound notebook, and must date (and usually sign) each "experiment," design, plan, idea, data, etc. If you discover something, there is documentation on what date, who, etc.

Now, if you design something at home, on your own time, it is yours to keep, as long as you copyright it before you call in the tv news cameras. :p:

[NOTE: I am not trying to "rip" you, or anyone else, BirdMom, I'm just trying to explain the reasoning behind it - if you didn't know. :) ]

[BirdMom]

And, with most companies, when you are hired, you sign an agreement that "any discoveries belong to the company." That is especially true in any research (and design) type companies. Why? Because you were/are using their facilities when you made your discovery. That is also why you must use a page numbered, bound notebook, and must date (and usually sign) each "experiment," design, plan, idea, data, etc. If you discover something, there is documentation on what date, who, etc.

Now, if you design something at home, on your own time, it is yours to keep, as long as you copyright it before you call in the tv news cameras. :p:

[NOTE: I am not trying to "rip" you, or anyone else, BirdMom, I'm just trying to explain the reasoning behind it - if you didn't know. :) ]

It's more complicated than that. Twenty one years ago, I was waiting for my Casual gig to come back up in Merchandise, so I worked for G.E. temporarilly - I had to sign a waiver than anything I came up with (my time, their time) during my term of employment with them would be their property. Kind of sucked, but my talents at the time tended more toward the sewing/costuming thing, so no big deal, and I wasn't there that long.

Neh - you'd be absolutely shocked if you knew who I was talking about and what he's contracted for the company before - it's huge, it's one of the biggest things that Disney was known for, and the company shamelessly ripped him off - because they're Disney and they can get away with it. And no, I'm not saying who it is or what his major contribution is/was, because then I'd have to kill you. Better that the powers that be who nose around on the net read this and know the community of professional creative artists are onto them.

[screnwriter]

They stole Fantasmic from a major proposal by someone who is associated with the company, but never worked inhouse for Imagineering.

BM - I'd love to hear more about that. I was one of the two original Maleficents for Fantasmic! Back in '92. I worked with show creator Barnette Ricci during the casting and rehearsal phase and sat with the whole crew of performers as Barnette showed us the video that had already been edited together with the soundtrack, and Barnette explained to us what was going to happen with the performers during the blacked out portions of the videotape. So are you telling me Barnette didn't create Fantasmic!? Perish forbid!

As a writer currently trying to shop scripts around Hollywood, hearing the stories of stolen material is so ironic - you get told all the time how what you've written is not viable, not current, "nobody's buying that kind of thing" - then you hear about stuff getting stolen.

And they ask me why I drink...

[Ottar]

While I'm sure Mr. Hill is a talented guide (he certainely seems to have a fan base saying so), he would not be able to do this sort of thing in the European parks. Zazu would, given that no money exchanged hands and that there was no commercial advertising, but otherwise park security strikes down on anyone who tries to do a guided tour of the park without Disney's prior knowledge of it. Tour guides who come to the park in a bus with their tour have to have some paperwork that identifies them as the guide for that group and what company employs them. No self-employed guides are allowed to work inside DLP as far as I know.

[kurtisnelson]

I have a substitute teacher who claims he invented the story for Ice Age and it was stolen.

[SoarWhoreCoCo]

If you ever submit an idea/music/script to any company you should do a poor mans copyright. Which is to mail to yourself in a sealed envelope the original work....this way the date/time postal mark will appear on the envelope and you can later use it to claim that you originated it. Of course once you have money you want to get a copyright lawyer.

But keep in mind if you work for Disney, when you were signing your life away in Casting, you signed documents stating that your submitted ideas were the companies to use.

[leftcoaster]

If you ever submit an idea/music/script to any company you should do a poor mans copyright. Which is to mail to yourself in a sealed envelope the original work....this way the date/time postal mark will appear on the envelope and you can later use it to claim that you originated it. Of course once you have money you want to get a copyright lawyer.

http://www.snopes.com/legal/postmark.asp

Mailing one's works to oneself and keeping the unopened, unopened, postmarked envelope as proof of right of ownership to them (a practice known as the "poor man's copyright") has no substantive legal effect in the U.S. We've yet to locate a case of its use where an author's copyright was established and successfully defended in a court of law by this method. At best, such mailings might serve to establish how long the author has been asserting ownership of the work, but since the postmarked-and-sealed envelope "proof" could be so easily circumvented, it is doubtful courts of law would regard such evidence as reliable.

[PirateJohn]

http://www.snopes.com/legal/postmark.asp

Mailing one's works to oneself and keeping the unopened, unopened, postmarked envelope as proof of right of ownership to them (a practice known as the "poor man's copyright") has no substantive legal effect in the U.S. We've yet to locate a case of its use where an author's copyright was established and successfully defended in a court of law by this method. At best, such mailings might serve to establish how long the author has been asserting ownership of the work, but since the postmarked-and-sealed envelope "proof" could be so easily circumvented, it is doubtful courts of law would regard such evidence as reliable.

Besides, a "rich man's" copyright is neither difficult nor expensive to do. With the cost of stamps and fees, it's still less than twenty bucks.