If you don't have the rights to "expand the universe" of a particular show or movie, so to speak, then your project is ineligible for the TITAN Awards.
- For example, you love an obscure 1970s Italian film.
- You contact the rights holder of the film, and because something is better than nothing, they sign an agreement with you for $1 to let you write (and produce) a TV series based on an awesome secondary character that featured in the original.
- You write your original series, and enter it in The TITAN - it's an original series based on material you own the rights in.
The key question to ask yourself is: do I own (or can I legally use) the underlying rights to what my show/movie is even vaguely, slightly based on?
If the answer is Yes, then you can enter the contest, if it is not, you can't.
Also, addressing public domain issues (ie fairy tales, legends, material out of copyright) this again simply hinges on the law of the question: "can I legally use/execute the rights?"
If you don't have the rights to something, you obviously can't. If the character's rights are in the public domain, then you absolutely can.
If in doubt we strongly recommend consulting with a lawyer.