Are we allowed to....

By forgotenmemory · Apr 20, 2008 · ·
  1. Write about real life? I mean if there is an actor in real life, can we talk about him or her in the story? Same with songs, other stories, etc?

Comments

  1. Charisma
    Lol! Talk about random!

    Course you are. You can write anything with conforms with the Terms and Conditions of this site.

    And yes, using actors may be offensive, but it's not a taboo as long as you're being realistic.
  2. Cogito
    Writing about real life people bears some risk. If we see clearly libelous statements, we will act swiftly to remove the work, but we won't be responsible for anything that escapes our vigilance and results in a lawsuit.

    Quoting material from other intellectual property is permitted only if properly attributed to the copyright owner, and only if it does not violate Fair Use. We also reserve the right to remove material derived from other authors' work if the original author makes it clear that others are not welcome to make use of the characters, locations, or other fictional background. Such information is not automatically trademarked in the same way that the writing itself is automatically copyrighted, but we fully respect the author's rights to intellectual property.

    If we find that copyrighted material has been used without acknowledging the source, we impose a permanent ban. Plagiarism is about the most serious offense you can commit on this site.

    This response is not intended to frighten you away from appropriate use of other writer's product, but just to clarify what lines may not be crossed.
  3. forgotenmemory
    Lol, that's not what I mean. I don't mean copy it, I mean like in a joke or scenario. For instance, a character is talking another character out of a fight, and he says, "this will go as badly as the fight with that Russian guy and Appolo Creed"
  4. Cogito
    Sorry, I was trying to cover more bases than just the original question.

    You can refer to a public figure as long as it does not extend to slander (libel). If the person objects to statements you have presented as fact, you could face a libel suit, in which case you would be required to prove the truth of your statement to the judge; the person you write about would not be reqiuired to prove it was false.

    Even if you prevailed in court, the time and money lost in defending yourself could be staggering.

    On the other hand, the celebrity could suffer from the bad publicity of a trial as well.

    Just something to keep in mind if you do use real, identifiable persons in your stories.
  5. forgotenmemory
    WHAT ABOUT IF A CHARACTER HAS A SHIRT THAT SAYS "VOTE FOR pEDRO"? Sorry for the caps.
To make a comment simply sign up and become a member!
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice