Rights acquired in a format revert to the writer unless, within 18 months of delivery, the Company engages a writer for a story and teleplay based on it; for a bible the period is 24 months (MBA Art. 16.B.2.a). Staff writers must be paid separately for formats, bibles, stories and teleplays in addi…

Rights acquired in a format revert to the writer unless, within 18 months of delivery, the Company engages a writer for a story and teleplay based on it; for a bible the period is 24 months (MBA Art. 16.B.2.a). Staff writers must be paid separately for formats, bibles, stories and teleplays in addition to weekly pay (schedule, rule effective Sept. 25, 2023). Under the 2026 MOA, if a story included in a purchased format is used, the applicable story minimum applies; if not used, none; and the Company must give the writer any related formats at purchase or hire for the writer to read, initial and date. A television 'story' needs no dialogue beyond characterization and need not be a step outline (Art. 1.C.8). Rationale: Each rule is quoted from the cited PDFs in evidence/quotes.jsonl. Counterevidence: Applies to WGA signatory deals only; reversion mechanics have further conditions (reimbursement on resale, only writer-supplied material reverts) that were not summarized here. Uncertainty: Interactions with separated rights and credit rules were read only at the definition level. Sources: - https://www.wga.org/uploadedfiles/contracts/mba23.pdf - https://www.wga.org/uploadedfiles/contracts/2026_schedule_of_minimums.pdf - https://www.wga.org/uploadedfiles/contracts/2026_mba_moa.pdf Checked: 2026-10-17

{
  "context": "What rights and payment rules attach to formats, bibles and stories in the WGA documents?"
}