More Rights of the Author Over His/Her Work

19 October 2011

The Living Letter by Alvin J. Buenaventura of FILCOLS
Translated from Filipino by Beverly W. Siy

More Rights of the Author Over His/Her Work


Aside from the reproduction rights, there are other rights that an author has over his/her work. Here they are:

Adaptation is when someone gives the work a new form. For example: if the novel “Mingaw” by Frida Mujer is turned into a movie, from the novel that’s made up of letters and words, after the adaptation, it can be enjoyed as moving pictures with lots of talking and “sizzling” movie stars.

If Mingaw is turned into a graphic book or comics, it is still called adaptation because it took another form, the graphic book, which is made of lines and colors from the creative hand of an artist.

To adapt "Mingaw," the movie producer or the artist and publisher must first seek the permission of Frida Mujer. Everything must also be clear and fair when discussing the fee AND the percentage from the revenue of the new form that should be given to the creator of the original work.

It can also be turned into a stage play or a theater piece for the performance of the work for those who love ala-broadway shows.

Translation for Korean teleserye scouts who fall in love with "Mingaw" because of its scenes that are situated in Seoul, South Korea. They can have Mingaw translated into Korean language for the market in their hometown.

And last but definitely not the least, for your father in law to enjoy the sexiest parts of Mingaw, it can be turned into a radio drama. It can also be turned into a TV series. But of course, your father in law must stay up until midnight because it can only be shown on national TV during that time, when most of the kids are already asleep. These are forms of broadcasting.

To make the long story short, for the adaptation, translation, performance and broadcasting of Mingaw: the permission of the author (Frida Mujer) must always be sought first and she must be given decent pay every time.

The reasons are:

1. The translator will receive income because there will be patrons who will watch Mingaw in Korean language.
2. Tickets to the ala-Broadway version of Mingaw will definitely be expensive so the writer (of the original work) must receive a decent amount for every ticket sold.

3. The radio and TV broadcast are also kinds of stage show, but this time, different sets of equipment are used. Of course, the producers will earn a lot because a number of soap and detergent manufacturers will post their advertisements during the telecast or broadcast of Mingaw. (Now you know the reason for the term soap opera. The advertisers and sponsors of this kind of shows are usually soap and detergent manufacturers. They are the ones who pay the TV and radio stations as much as one million bucks for the ads just to attract the viewers to buy their products.)

Remember the saying ‘Customer is king?’ It is very much connected to this article about adaptation. It’s the millions of customers who cause these manufacturers and companies to grow. And they must advertise regularly in popular radio and TV shows to entice the viewers and listeners to patronize their products or services.

The writers, artists, producers and other players of this industry continue creating works to share knowledge and entertain and of course to earn or keep their livelihood. And the viewers and listeners will wait for these works to be aired. And the companies and the manufacturers too.

Is the cycle more obvious by now?

Author>Frida Mujer>Work>Mingaw> Media>Radio and TV>Sponsor> Soap
manufacturer or internet provider > Viewer/Listener/Consumer> Ordinary Pinoy
folks.

The ordinary folks will pay for the shampoo. The shampoo company will pay for
the ads. The media will reap the benefits. And then the media pays Frida Mujer.
She will continue to write and create a new work because she has the money to
pay for the food, the rent, the utility bills and of course, for a bottle of
shampoo. The cycle will just go on.

Authors, publishers or heirs of copyright owners are invited to join FILCOLS. We
will help you protect your copyright over your works. To join, one only needs to have published works, or one must be the heirs of an author or has the right to manage the rights of an author. Membership is free. If you have queries, email us at filcols@gmail.com.