One of the things that sucks about this is that the publishing rights for all of the original, non-ip based scripts and TV scripts are actually controlled by the writers and show creators. So it’s individual writers, not big corporations that you are actually distributing the work of without compensation.
You might say but this is fair use / you aren’t charging or profiting… it’s not fair use and I think actually you are profiting. Posting it to hacker news shows that you do profit if only though building your own notoriety and as for fair use, you can’t distribute a written work in its entirety and say it’s fair use simply because you say it’s for “educational purposes.” If that was true you could do this with any book (which you obviously can’t). The screenplay has its own copyright distinct from the movie and you are distributing the entire work. Also if you go to your local Barnes and Nobel you will see screenplays published and for sale if you need more proof this is not fair use. There is a marketplace that this act undermines.
I know you have a link for people to do takedowns, but you also know the name of all of the writers. You should be proactively reaching out and asking their permission. I bet you would be surprised how many would grant it!
I'm not sure that screenwriters or studios care to much about this kind of distribution on the web. Screenplays for Oscar-contending movies are usually distributed widely and freely prior to voting, including via widely-known, industry-friendly blogs, and I don't know that anyone has any problem with this (unlike copies of the actual films distributed to voting members of the Academy). The scripts listed here are often available at a variety of long-established sites on the Internet. Yes, some screenplays available in book form, usually with added value content, such as production or behind-the-scenes photographs, commentary and analysis, etc. Hard copies of screenplays have been sold at comic and pop-culture shops, though I'm not sure how these are distributed or who benefits from them (beyond the shop).
Screenwriters advise other screenwriters to read existing screenplays, and the best source for someone wanting to read a lot of screenplays is the Internet. As someone who is trying to learn about screenwriting, availability of produced screenplays is a critical resource...and I simply am not aware of screenwriters or filmmakers demanding these already-produced screenplays to be taken down.
Humans are mostly driven by feelings. Even their thoughts are driven by feelings. That's why there is such a broad support for copyright violations. "Oh wow, free stuff! This feels good! This is good!".
Access to our culture is good. Access to art is good. Accessing this material would not likely have any negative impact on the creation of new art and could very likely promote the creation of new art, so I'm not really seeing any problem with it from a purely practical standpoint. From an emotional standpoint, it really is cool to read an early draft of a show or movie I love. I'm glad somebody is willing to risk the copyright police to host this for everybody!
These are screenplays. Normally they would stay in a drawer forever and nobody would see them. That's what the writers expect. Now they have a new life, and maybe the writers have new opportunities too.
Those are screenplays for successful projects. Not some studio's slush pile. Those have value.
(A web site for script slush piles would be fun, and would raise few objections. There are a huge number of rejected scripts around LA. It used to be a joke to ask random people on Melrose Avenue "How's your screenplay coming?" About one in five had a screenplay. There's a minor minimum-wage industry in Hollywood writing two-page summaries of screenplays. They're called "one-pagers", but are usually two pages. An actress/model/waitress friend used to do that to make extra money. She'd receive a stack of scripts written by unknowns, and boil them down to two pages each. Someone at a higher pay grade would read the one-pagers. At the slush pile level, that's how much attention a script gets. Many wannabe scriptwriters would be glad to upload their script.)
The screenwriters union fought for and negotiated for the right to own the publishing for their screenplays. Many writers of notable films have been able to use these writes to publish their scripts in book form to supplement their personal income.
Are you sure those are the same? The book contains two screenplays, an amazon review says it's an early draft but the download doesn't suggest that.
Even if they were 100% identical I'd be willing to bet the kinds of fans that would treasure having the book would still want it on their shelf even if they had a digital copy available.
I’m sure I can find an example of one that’s exactly the same copy. Regardless the writer gets the exclusive right to publish all drafts as part of their union won separated rights. Also your point about treasured copies would apply equally to any book, movie, or music but I don’t think if someone posted their free top 40 mp3 download site on hacker news in 2022 it would have the same reaction. I get that you want this to be a “victimless crime” but… it’s not. Sorry that’s inconvenient for you.
In the same vein I would argue that authors need to pay for the hard work of this gentleman distributing their work. they are profiting from the publicity for free
What "value" is there in this publicity that the author hasn't already received? I have to imagine that it's exceedingly easy to find the screenwriter for a published script, and as such this additional publicity gets them little to no additional benefits.
The downside of having this published for free is that the author now has a more difficult time profiting from the sale of the script. This is the same for any author that profits from the sale of their writing. This conversation would have a much different tone if the site was publishing novels, wouldn't it?
There are two ways screenwriters can make money directly from their writing.
Selling it to studios. (This website of already produced film scripts is not going to help with that)
And publishing and selling the script(This website and ones like it literally undercut that market and make it very difficult for any but the most successful writers to get any publishing money)
You might say but this is fair use / you aren’t charging or profiting… it’s not fair use and I think actually you are profiting. Posting it to hacker news shows that you do profit if only though building your own notoriety and as for fair use, you can’t distribute a written work in its entirety and say it’s fair use simply because you say it’s for “educational purposes.” If that was true you could do this with any book (which you obviously can’t). The screenplay has its own copyright distinct from the movie and you are distributing the entire work. Also if you go to your local Barnes and Nobel you will see screenplays published and for sale if you need more proof this is not fair use. There is a marketplace that this act undermines.
I know you have a link for people to do takedowns, but you also know the name of all of the writers. You should be proactively reaching out and asking their permission. I bet you would be surprised how many would grant it!