Even registerd material can get ripped off. There is also the practice of mining, where they strip it down for the plot points and such, rendering the original a cheap and unmarkable knock-off.
I post my short screenplays, and always bite my lip when sending out a feature for a read. Ya can't hide it forever, and just gotta take the chance. Per my other thread, I've been royally ripped off. Not much I can do about it, either - actually I did, and the film was canceled in post - but the point is the script is dead and no check ever came in the mail.
Regardless, I still post work and send work out. A lot. In the long run it seems to pay off more than not. It's gonna happen. Pretty much every industry is subject to vermin, so ya just gatta go with it.
Do I know if my posted shorts have been ripped off or mined? Nope. Could be. They can just change the name, tweak a scene or two and call it their own. It's that easy. I'm on the verge of claiming some (many?) film schools encourage filmmakers NOT to pay for a screenplay if at all possible. My fave response so far, after working with a filmmaker's idea, and ready to hit the key board for a small fee - 'What? You mean I actually have to pay for this? Sorry I wasted your time.'
Okay, at least he said sorry in the same sentance.
I think with the internet and our becoming very accustomed to everything being free, paying for material just seems so yesterday. If it's there then it must be free, even it says otherwise, right? Arg.
alex
A
http://thestarvingdramaturge.wordpress.com/