I’ve been sending script ideas to the TV companies. I now discover that one of the soaps that rejected my material is nonetheless using one of my ideas. Is there anything I can do about this?
Yes, but you will need to convince a solicitor specialising in this field either that you have a very strong case or that you have unlimited funds, since taking on a TV company is likely to be expensive. You may be able to fund your case under a “no win, no fee” arrangement. Plots and artistic ideas are not protected by copyright, incidentally: copyright protects the form, not the underlying idea. You would have to call on the laws which protect the use of confidential information.