Screenwriter’s best friend

L.A. lawyer John Marder, whose writer clients have accused the studios of stealing their ideas, gets profiled in Thursday’s New York Times. Marder won a federal appeals court decision that makes it easier for writers to sue. The decision, based on a 2004 case involving Miramax, held that anyone who considers an idea offered for sale can’t rely on the federal Copyright Act in fighting thievery claims. As Marder declared to the Times, “I’ll fight to the death for writers, and I know this part of the law better than anybody.”