If you want anything you usually have to pay someone something for it. That is the generally the case for any show that the general public would recognize. I cringe when I see people breaking the rules. They record shows on video, use unauthorized logos, change the gender of characters (some publishers don't allow that), add, delete or change dialog, photocopy scripts, change musical numbers. produce unauthorized "musical reviews", etc.,etc..

There is a side of me that says there are far too many laws anyway. That is the major reason it is so hard to reinforce them. I understand why there are intellectual rights, but I'm not sure it is a productive model. For instance; would it be more interesting to see a new version of Harvey instead of the same one as you saw a couple years ago but with different actors? If you have lots of girls auditioning, but only 2 boys, it would be nice to feel free to do a little re-wright. Wouldn't we all like to have a DVD of the better shows we've worked on?

As a playwright, I had to speak up.  The big difference between being a builder or an architect or even a screenwriter vs. being a playwright is that the former group works for hire.  Playwrights are not employees, which is why the Dramatists Guild of America is an association and not a union, and we own our work.  In essence, producing a play is like renting a car, so you don't get to keep it without an ongoing fee, and you surely don't get to repaint it without asking me first.  If you're tired of Harvey, there are many, many other plays available (I have quite a few myself).  You don't get to soup it up to please yourself.

I've had 7 or 8 infringements of my work that I know of.  I use Google and Copernic to search for my name and my play titles regularly, and I work with my publishers to make sure that royalties are paid.  Mostly, I've found it's ignorance (e.g. schools thinking if they don't charge admission there is no royalty), though in the case of several friends of mine, I'm not so sure.

In my February 2009 newsletter, I put together a Rights and Royalties for Dummies that offers a simple guide to copyright issues.

http://jondorf.com/news0209.html

Might be worth a read.

Cheers,
Jon Dorf

This is probably why Hogath put up the first 'Copyright Act Bill back in 1736, that was later passed that year in the Pohmy [British] Parliment.

In the States, parody is protected speech and isn't considered infringement.  It's probably similar in most Commonwealth countries.

Jon