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Comedy: Dealing With Other Comedians Stealing Your Material

Okay, if you're a stand up comedian, one of the things that happens eventually is that sooner or later someone is bound to snatch material from you. It can and does happen in the industry. So you may be asking yourself how you can protect yourself from these thefts.

The only real way this can be done is if you have a solid act that you take with you wherever you go. Writing this down and getting a copyright on it is the only legal way to protect your material from theft. Even then most comedians don't do this because admittedly, the job of a stand up comedian requires new material often.

Sooner or later, if you keep the same jokes running over and over again, even at different venues with different people, word will eventually get out and you will no longer be funny. So realistically speaking, copywriting your stuff if you're a stand up comic isn't very practical.

So how, you're probably asking, do I keep other people from stealing my stuff? The answer? You don't. Not directly at least. See, the important thing is that no matter what other comedians steal from you, they won't be able to carry it out properly unless they have your personality. A comedian's personality drives his jokes; without the proper delivery, the same joke done by someone else will often fall flat.

Naturally, there are excellent mimics out there who can imitate your style right down to facial expressions and gestures; these are the problematic ones. They might not have your personality but they can copy your style when delivering your material. The only real way to deal with these unoriginal acts is to, unfortunately, come up with other material. Thankfully, truly talented mimics are few and far in between, so more often than not you can safely go on with your routine without worrying about someone stealing it from you.

Another way to fight people who steal your material is to have your managers and agents spread the word about your act. Very few managers and agents will work for someone that they know has taken material from someone else. They won't work with these comedy routine thieves specifically because they know that people won't patronize an act that they've seen performed before by someone else.

Therefore, having your agent or manager spread the word around the industry regarding the details of your act not only generates more publicity for you, it keeps people who actually do manage to copy your style from even getting into the industry.

Lastly, try and make friends with other comedians. Go and see their shows, and invite them to yours. While this may seem a prime way to invite someone to steal your material, it can also be used as a weapon against comedy material thieves. By observing the acts of other comedians, you'll be able to spot other comedians who steal your stuff. Also, if you spot someone who has taken your stuff, since you've gone to the acts of other comedians, you'll be able to tell if these thieves have likewise stolen other parts of their routines from other people you know.

Once you confirm that someone is liberally taking their acts from your work and the works of others, you can then spread the word to the other comedians you know that the person in question is ripping them off too. Nothing stops a person's career dead in it's tracks like having word spread in the industry that he's an unoriginal plaigarist.

Remember that the best way to deal with having your act stolen is to come up with newer and fresher acts. While this may not always be possible, it is actually extremely productive and bolsters your career. Every comedy act loses it's appeal sooner or later, and coming up with newer and funnier material makes you even better.

In this fashion, the shameless copycats who steal your material actually goads to you to improve your performance. They make it necessary for you to become so good, and come up with new acts that are so funny, that when they perform the material they stole from you, they actually become yesterday's news, because people will either know that they heard that act from you first, or will be favoring your act over that of the thieves simply because you're a better comedian.

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