A TVC script is where an advertising idea becomes concrete dialogue, scenes and messaging. FDI companies pay agencies to write scripts but rarely ask who owns the script, whether the agency may reuse the concept framework for another client, and whose consent is needed to shoot a new version from the old script.
How rights in a TVC script are determined
- The script is a written work — Article 14 of the IP Law: an original TVC script is a protected written work; its authors are the copywriters or the agency creative team who actually wrote it.
- Pure ideas are not protected — copyright covers concrete expression (dialogue, scene structure, wording), not abstract ideas such as ‘family reunion at Tet’; this limit surprises many companies when an agency reuses a ‘similar idea’.
- Owner of economic rights — Article 39: the company commissioning the script owns its economic rights unless otherwise agreed; moral rights (attribution, integrity) stay with the writers under Article 19.
- The finished TVC is a second layer — script and recorded TVC are related but independent works: owning the script does not automatically mean owning every right in the recording if production was contracted separately.
Fixing script rights in the agency contract
- List the script as a standalone deliverable (script file, storyboard) with assignment of economic rights to the company.
- Agree the agency will not reuse the script, dialogue or distinctive scene structure for same-industry clients; define ‘general ideas’ clearly to avoid grey-zone disputes.
- Register copyright in scripts for major campaigns before shooting, as creation-date evidence if a lookalike TVC appears later.
A strong TVC script can be reused across seasons and markets. To exploit it that way, an FDI company must own the script as an asset independent of the recording — and that happens only when the agency contract says so, not when the invoice is paid.
Frequently asked questions
We commissioned an ad script — who owns the rights?
Economic rights belong to the commissioning company under Article 39 of the IP Law unless agreed otherwise; writers keep moral rights.
The agency reused our idea for another client — what can we do?
Only copied concrete expression (dialogue, scene structure) is actionable; abstract ideas are unprotected. Contracts should bar reuse for the same industry.
Should we register script copyright?
Not mandatory, but for major campaigns registering before the shoot is strong creation-date evidence if a similar product appears.
This article has been quality-reviewed by the FLAW AI Legal Council