[HELP] Legal nonsense on an eBook's title page - can I/should I include it?

I'm almost ready to launch my first eBook. It's proofed, the cover is ready, and now it's just a case of tidying up loose ends before actually putting the damn thing on Amazon. Finally.

On pretty much every physical book, and eBook, you'll see something rather like this:

"This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, organisations, places, or events are a product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, or actual events, are coincidental.

Text copyright © John Doe 2020. All right reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without the expressed permission of the author.

Cover design by blah blah."

As an indie author, do I need this? Should I include this? Does it actually mean anything?

 

I'm not convinced the disclaimers are effective. They're self-serving. If you write a book that includes a readily-identifiable person and defame them, the idea that having this disclaimer inside your cover will save you in court makes no sense. If there's a close case and the disclaimer would stop someone from believing that you were writing about real person 'x' there may be some benefit, but I don't find that scenario particularly plausible. On the other hand, I don't see how it can cause any harm.

 

Disclaimers have no value . Most books also include, the book cannot be resold , and is ignore by the second hand book trade . If you rattle someone enough for them to take you court , disclaimers will not save you.

 

Thank you for your input, everybody. Looks like I'll be letting the formatting guys deal with this one.

 

In the U.S., the law specifically allows for resale, so that disclaimer would be particularly pointless. I don’t see it here often.

 

I'm sure any disclaimer would be about as much use as a No Pissing sign at a swimming pool if somebody decided they were actually going to fuck with you.

But one must show willing.