In the latest of a series of damaging leaks in Hollywood, the LA Times has reported that Quentin Tarantino has decided to shelve plans to film The Hateful Eight after the confidential script was circulated far beyond the small circle of actors to which Tarantino initially sent it. Tarantino is quoted by Deadline as saying “I finished a script, a first draft, and I didn’t mean to shoot it until next winter, a year from now. I gave it to six people, and apparently it’s gotten out today.”  Evidently one of the actors under consideration for a role shared the document with his agent, who then passed it along to “everyone in Hollywood.”

Other prematurely leaked scripts in recent years include the script of Breaking Bad, Entourage, The Fifth Estate, The Avengers,  among others.  Many of these leaks happened without malicious intent by the responsible party, but they can be extremely damaging to creative projects that rely on an air of secrecy to attract a top-notch cast and ensure marketability as it enters production.  In the days of printed copies, controlling copies of a script were somewhat easier, but increasingly scripts are being shared in digital form, most often without any encryption or with easily shared document passwords.  

A Hollywood Primer on DRM in Three Steps

1. Secure your scripts using a real DRM solution, not passwords:  Document passwords can easily be passed along with confidential documents. Using a DRM solution like FileOpen RightsManager allows you to grant permission only to certain contacts. If one of those contacts forwards the document, it can’t be opened or viewed. Moreover, DRM enables you to instantly revoke access to a previously authorized recipient, if necessary, or even to one of their devices if misplaced.
2. Place usage restrictions on your scripts: Advanced DRM solutions allow you to control exactly how a recipient uses your document, adding layers of security to the most confidential documents. Restrict or expire printing privileges, log the time and location of each print attempt, embargo or expire access to an absolute date or after a certain number of days (or even minutes!), and specify how many devices on which a user can view a document.
3. Apply detailed watermarks: As a final measure of security, watermarks can ensure the traceability of high-value documents by overlaying key information about the user, such as their name, date, time, printer and location. Those in possession of a physical copy of the document are far less likely to share or sell a document with their identity displayed on each page. FileOpen RightsManager allows admins to set unique watermarks that appear on both the digital and printed document, or only on the printed version.

Contact us if you would like to learn more about how the film industry uses FileOpen DRM.