Also known as MBA literary material · written literary material
A defined category of writer-created material under the WGA MBA that can include screenplays, teleplays, stories, treatments, and other covered writing. It is a contract term, not merely a synonym for prose.
Under the MBA, literary material is a defined contractual category used throughout compensation, credit, separated-rights, and delivery provisions. The exact category and treatment depend on the work and agreement. A screenplay, teleplay, story, treatment, or other written material may matter differently than a pitch, suggestion, or production communication.
The WGA's AI rules make the distinction especially important: generative AI is not a writer, and no written material produced by traditional AI or GAI is literary material under the MBA. Separate rules say qualifying unpublished or unexploited company-furnished GAI material is not assigned material for compensation, source material for credits, or a basis for disqualifying a writer from separated rights.
Keep dated, clearly labeled copies of what you write and submit. The WGA screen credits manual recommends retaining literary material and written suggestions because credit proceedings examine actual contributions. Save points can make that record easier to navigate, but product history is not a Guild filing, an authorship ruling, or a substitute for the materials required by an arbitration.
Not necessarily. Literary material is a defined MBA term, and the treatment of pitches, notes, suggestions, drafts, and revisions depends on the applicable provision and facts.
No. Current WGA guidance says written material produced by traditional AI or GAI cannot be literary material. Separate conditions govern whether company-furnished GAI material counts as assigned or source material or affects separated rights.
Dated, labeled material helps identify what was written and submitted at each stage. That can matter for credits and deal administration even though an app cannot decide the result.
