can i mention cars?

hi all

somebody put a similar question on here a little while ago, about using song lyrics or something within their writing. i just wondered, i wanted to name a few types of cars in my story, can i do this?

thanks, sam

 

Yes. You can't copyright a name, so you can't be sued for copyright infringement for using it

 

aww thats cool! thank you for your reply!

 

There should be no issue with using the name of a vehicle to describe it, though perhaps be more careful with libel. You wouldn't wish to have a direct attack on a product in a published text without good legal advice. And you may wish to be careful with the title of any published work containing a product name, certainly if the inference is negative. For example, I could foresee big trouble with a book called, 'The Ford Puma Is A Crap Car'. Alsom whilst you cannot copywrite a name, and I'm sure it's not the case here, you wouldn't be able to include detailed schematics of a product or an ingredients list (if not publicly available) without consent.

 

hey gannon. thanks for your reply. lol do not worry, i am not using the car names in that context. i simply just wanted to put the name of a car in a sentence. for example, Allie drove a jet black mazda mx. but thankyou for your reply, helpful to know! ;-)

 

True. I'm not sure about the rules outside the UK, but the law regarding libel (defamation) here says that a statement must be published to a third party, make people think less of the libelled party, and be made in permanent form.

That said, as long as you don't go out of your way to say that the cars are a bag of ****e, then you should be alright.

EDIT: Reading your last post, your usage is fine

 

lol thanks guys!

 

This thread brought to mind the movie "Crazy People."

Nearly everything in that movie WOULD have been libel, but they got permission.

It was about people in an asylum writing crazy, 'honest' ads that suddenly boosted the sales of the products by being honest (and mildly insulting.)

"Volvo: They're boxy but they're good!"

 

hmmm sounds....interesting! lol

 

Good to know. I wondered if I could name things in my book, thanks for the tips.

 

sorry, but that usage is not quite 'fine'... brand names must be capitalized and so must the model name, if it appears in their ads with capital letters...

 

i understand that mammamaia, this was just a quick example.