Question on a project, kind of a hmmm, what to do

Hi. I hope I can ask this question here.

First off, before I record anything I always get a release signed and a contract. Of course, in this instance, there's nothing in place because it was done for a friend as a test.


A few months ago, I was contacted by a friend to record audio of someone performing a job function that, if it were to work, would save 120 or more man hours per week at several locations of a business world wide. I can't say what I recorded other than to say it's legal and not pornographic in any way. Also the purpose of the recording was to see if a recorded piece would take the place of a human.

I recorded this person and the trial of the recording worked. Here's the problem. The person I recorded works in an occupation that finds them on the road in various locations year round. They have no permanent address and live in hotels all the time. They have a cell phone that does not have voice mail set and they will not return text messages or emails. As mentioned, there's no contract signed with this person. No money has exchanged hands. What the person did is not really unique but it could be a several hundred thousand dollar idea.

What's the thought process here of replicating what was taped with someone else, contract and release signed of course, and bypassing this person all together? I was not asked to record the person by the person I recorded, rather someone else set all of this up and I am in contact with them.

Thanks for any advice. If anyone knows of a legal person I may ask, please pass on their names. I am based in Indianapolis, IN.

Jeff Heck
NaJor Productions
Indianapolis