The ideas set out in treatments of novels, stories, screenplays, games, computer programs, and all other literary, dramatic, or creative works, are not protected in any way. Ideas must be held secret to be protected. When querying a potential publisher or "pitching" a treatment or idea to a potential producer, the proposed work and all discussions of it should be protected under a Non-Disclosure Agreement between the parties to the discussion. Most producers of works that warrant copyright protection have standard Non-Disclosure forms and will send them on request -- many won't even talk to you without one. Most magazine and book publishers automatically treat an unsolicited query as confidential, but there is no guarantee of that except in the reputation of the publisher.

Note, however, that an agreement of confidentiality is not required when presenting someone with a finished work -- such as a complete manuscript of a magazine article or a "demo" recording of a song, for instance. Such a finished work is protected by copyright.