Opinion ID: 6986474
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Woody Kling’s Scripts

Text: Beginning in 1981, Hallmark Cards, Inc. (“Hallmark”) began to develop the Rainbow Brite character and a number of related characters and story lines. In August •1983 Hallmark began discussions with DIC Enterprises, Inc. (“DIC”) regarding the development of an animated children’s television program based on the Rainbow Brite characters. In December 1983 the two companies agreed that DIC would produce a Rainbow Brite program and that DIC would assign to Hallmark the copyrights in all material created by or for DIC. United Feature Syndicate, Inc. (“United Feature”) also engaged DIC to produce an animated children’s television program based on the character of Robot-man. Heywood F. “Woody” Kling was a producer and head-writer on numerous television shows. In 1974 he incorporated Heywood Kling Productions, Inc. (“HKP”) and as its sole employee wrote scripts for various television programs and plays. Through HKP, Kling contracted with television production companies, networks, and individual producers on a project-by-project basis. In 1983 and 1984, Kling entered into three contracts with DIC to write scripts for three Rainbow Brite and three Robot-man television specials. Each contract provided as follows: 1. DIC engaged Kling to write “a story premise, outline, teleplay and appropriate polish(es)” for the respective programs. 2. Kling would be paid $20,000 for each special in three installments. 3. Kling would receive separate card credit (as writer for the first contract, and writer and developer for the second two contracts). 4. “Any feature adaptations, network series, or network special must be renegotiated in good faith. The aforesaid terms represent syndication broadcast only.” 5. If more than three episodes containing characters developed by Kling were televised, he would receive $1000 per episode royalty. Kling wrote the scripts. From 1984 to 1986, Hallmark registered a series of copyrights in various works relating to the Rainbow Brite characters, including the three television specials that Kling had written. The certificates of registration for these copyrights identified DIC as the author and stated that DIC had assigned Hallmark the copyright through their December 1983 contract. Also in the mid-1980s, DIC transferred its rights in the Robotman specials to United Feature, which then registered copyrights in the specials as their purported sole owner.