For people who have read my novel, or whoever
 

I was recently made aware of a play written by a young alumnus from my school with the following plot:

"Torn between the demands of his fraternity and the truth of his sexuality, a closeted actor must decide whether to trust his heart or give into the societal pressures that threaten his relationships with his boyfriend, his brotherhood and himself. Filled with music, humor and romance, [title redacted] probes the themes of Black masculinity, sexuality and true friendship while exploring the sacrifices required for loving oneself in 21st century America."

The description is very, very, similar to the plot of my novel. The only difference from this snippet is that his main character is an actor. Mine is your average slacker. lol

The playwright attended my college immediately after my novel was released. I was well known to the undergraduates as a "notable" young alum and received an award from the Black Student Alliance primarily because of the book. The playwright was a sophomore at the time.

My book was in the campus bookstore and in a few other "free" collections around campus.

I don't recall having ever met the guy.

He is also a member of a fraternity.

I have sent a message to my mentor who is also on faculty at the college to ask for his advice.

What do you all think?

^^ Do you have the ability to see/read the play? Even though the description may be similar it's possible the content is different, however someone with knowledge of copyright and law might be better here.

The mutual friend plans on going to go see it. I am wondering if I have the right ask for a copy to review.

And obviously the content is different because his will be inferior. LOL I'm only serious.

LOL, well of course.

It sounds to me like you need a lawyer or lawyer friend. I'd talk to your mentor in particular. I know that copyright holders are frequently almost overreactive to perceived breaches of copyright to ensure that they maintain ownership, but I wouldn't have the foggiest idea the right course to take here.

So good luck and all that :D

ETA: I'm boycotting it too! ;)

LOL thanks! The thing I didn't mention above is that he is in an MFA program. I'd hate for him to have accusations of plagiarism in his final semester. No I wouldn't.

Yeah.... I think you're right. Honestly, I am truly not "that guy" when it comes to copyright. I generally accept that some stories will just plain be similar, and I won't be the only person to write stories about black gays pledging frats.

The part which bothers me most is that it so obviously seems like this guy bit off my work -- my campus was also Team Senusret I for YEARS. And we have 70 facebook friends in common. If this guy went to ANY OTHER COLLEGE, I wouldn't even be concerned.

C'mon, son.

I'll reach out to him if my mentor concurs that's the right thing to do. It feels like the right thing, but so does destroying him. :)

You have a book? Is there any way to purchase it? Based on your posts, I kind of can't wait to read it.

^^^ Speaking of that, and this is a different thread I'm sure, any thought towards converting to an ebook?

I'd at least talk to an IP lawyer before you reach out to this guy.

Not currently available, but hoping to make some things happen for a re-release by the end of the year. Meantime, check out www.oldgoldsoul.com and www.facebook.com/rashiddarden

Not interested in that right this second unless I can hire (and afford) somebody else setting all that up for me. I'm just not convinced enough that it will be worth my while. The majority of my target audience does not do e-readers.

Yeah.... I hope I can find one within the week, if need be.

And by the way, thanks everyone. :)

I think that you might have an uphill battle here. According the US Copyright site:

"(b) In no case does copyright protection for an original work of authorship extend to any idea, procedure, process, system, method of operation, concept, principle, or discovery, regardless of the form in which it is described, explained, illustrated, or embodied in such work."

Think about movies that come out within weeks of each other, that share huge plot lines, similar story conflicts, protag/antagonists, settings, sequence, etc. For example, "Armageddon" came out two months AFTER "Deep Impact" (but was more successful). Other examples are "Antz" and "A Bug's Life," and "Dante's Peak" and "Volcano."

Most of the info I know deals with screenplays and protection advice from the Writer's Guild of America, but there might be some good information on their site. They suggest re-registering work when revisions are made; basically holding your ownership through additional revisions.

One question - do you retain a literary agent? Someone who works on your behalf? If not, you might be able to get some help from your publisher, even if it's just advice or suggestions on who else might be able to help you.

Good luck; we writers become married to their pieces of work, and it's scary to think that someone else is trying to capitalize on your ideas, efforts and successes. The situation does seem pretty sketchy to me. Definitely go to the play, and jot down phrases that might sound familiar to yours, any common themes, characters, places, events, even names. If not prohibited, bring an audio recorder and record some parts of the dialogue.

Like others, I'd love to read your book. Keep us posted on what happens!!

Sorry to come in at an odd time but your book sounds like it will definitely be a hit! As soon as its readily available, I will be buying!!! :)

My GED in IP law tells me that you don't have an actual legal case. Ree-Xi covered it pretty well above.

That said, the guy is still a douche, and there's no reason not to call him out.