A couple of years ago I wrote a script and a voice actor I worked with at the time offered to rewrite it for me to make it the best it could be. I accepted especially because I was under the impression he would do it for free. And later he told me it was free of charge.
Then about a year later after we had a dispute over writing preferences he registered our script with the WGA behind my back and claimed he owned artistic rights to it from now on, and announced I had to pay him $700 for the rewrite he did. Then after we had further disputes we went our separate ways.
And last I contacted him he told me I would face legal action unless if I was to use any of the writing he did for my script unless I would pay him the WGA standard for rewriting a screenplay which is $10,409. And it is impossible for me to ever get that kind of money.
I later tried rewriting some of the scenes he wrote in the script thinking this would be okay (I heard there is a 10% difference that makes the cut). But when I contacted him about this he said no, because he still laid the groundwork for those scenes and my rewriting them wouldn't change what he should be paid for his work.
So I am asking, is he in the right? Can he get away with these things?
Then about a year later after we had a dispute over writing preferences he registered our script with the WGA behind my back and claimed he owned artistic rights to it from now on, and announced I had to pay him $700 for the rewrite he did. Then after we had further disputes we went our separate ways.
And last I contacted him he told me I would face legal action unless if I was to use any of the writing he did for my script unless I would pay him the WGA standard for rewriting a screenplay which is $10,409. And it is impossible for me to ever get that kind of money.
I later tried rewriting some of the scenes he wrote in the script thinking this would be okay (I heard there is a 10% difference that makes the cut). But when I contacted him about this he said no, because he still laid the groundwork for those scenes and my rewriting them wouldn't change what he should be paid for his work.
So I am asking, is he in the right? Can he get away with these things?
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