I just hope they're flame retardant. I'd hate to light a cigarette and turn into the human torch. Though, hey, I'd totally make the evening news.

Oh, the Humanity!!

so the money I pay to iTunes goes... where?

The deals aren't public, but NBC (and, I think, 20th Century Fox) recently claimed Apple takes 50%. The studio takes the rest. The writers are getting seriously fucked by the existing deals, which were (obviously) put together before this technology even existed.

Someone go stand by Kristen with a fire extinguisher! We wanna keep her!

Oooh, or misters like outdoor restaurants have!

I don't see how an existing deal (existing before such things as iTunes) can even begin to apply to present day distribution.

On perhaps a related note, how do inventors working for a company make out on a new product that the company I believe then owns the intellectual rights to, does the original inventor get residuals on all sales of the product?

I think it depends on the deal that they work out ahead of time, Juliebird. I don't really know, but I think most inventors that invent for companies don't have standard contracts, just whatever deal they can work out. Most of the deals I've heard of aren't that good and the inventor gets pretty close to bupkiss.

Kevin, if any of those blank signs pics are online, link please!

On perhaps a related note, how do inventors working for a company make out on a new product that the company I believe then owns the intellectual rights to, does the original inventor get residuals on all sales of the product?

It depends on the contract: but 99.999% of the time the answer is no. However inventors (normally designers and engineers) working for a company normally get a salary, day in and day out. And it is normally part of a long term deal where engineers and designers work for the same company for decades at a time, and get health insurance and pension and paid vacation. I would not describe anyone as exactly secure these days. But compared to engineers in manufacturing industries, writers share a great deal more of the day to day risks of the film and video industry.

According to this blog, streaming video gets counted as "promotional" and not as an airing (or whatever) for residual purposes, which means no residuals at all. And the video deal was already crappy, since it hasn't changed since before anyone knew if VHS would catch on.

Work for hire can become a messy term that includes much of what you do during your employ and the firm taking possession of it.

Works Made for Hire. -- (1) a work prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment; or (2) a work specially ordered or commissioned for use as a contribution to a collective work, as a part of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, as a translation, as a supplementary work, as a compilation, as an instructional text, as a test, as answer material for a test, or as an atlas, if the parties expressly agree in a written instrument signed by them that the work shall be considered a work made for hire. (17 U.S.C. sec 101)

That whole "within the scope" thing can be played with.

Essentially your boss owns it, and you get what piece of that they allocate you. Except there are scenarios where actors get a piece of the pie, but the writers don't, even though the actors are saying things the writers gave them.

Me, I'm all about consistency from case to case.

Work for hire can become a messy term that includes much of what you do during your employ and the firm taking possession of it.

second that. emphasis on messy.