Can I mention a video game and discuss a part of it vaguely in my book (my character plays that video and game and learns something from it) without copyright infringement?
Merely mentioning a copyrighted or trademarked name in a written work is normally okay. Like if a character in your book has an Apple iPhone and that’s an important plot point, you don’t need Apple’s permission to say that. (Within reason; e.g. if your whole book is a thinly disguised rant about how terrible Apple is, they might go after you.) If you want to be safe(r) you should have a disclaimer that you are not affiliated with (insert companies whose stuff you mentioned) and that all views are your own, etc.“Discussing” a copyrighted work is more nuanced. Generally I’d say it’s probably fine if it doesn’t give any more detail than a newspaper/magazine/website review or a Wikipedia entry would give — going over high level plot points are fine, quoting pages of verbatim dialogue or spoilers for the entire plot of the work is not. But if you are concerned you should contact a copyright lawyer or talk to people with more experience in publishing.As a recent, very famous example, see Ready Player One. Several plot points in the book revolve around famous real-world games, movies, and music — Atari’s Adventure is referenced numerous times (along with numerous other 80s video games), 80s flick Wargames is discussed (with some bits of dialogue quoted), Rush’s music and albums show up, and at one point the main character goes through a re-enactment of a famous Dungeons and Dragons adventure module. Just mentioning those things or lightly discussing them doesn’t require permission from the copyright owners. (However, the upcoming big screen adaptation does — actually using art or music from something does require permission, unless it’s something limited like a few screenshots to go along with a review, or a special case like parody/satire.)
Can I use real names of brands in my book?
Term=Fair use, not any specialist or anything so I too would like to know whats up.I don’t think it works the same, you’re not claiming ownership of those products or ideas, they’re objects in the story. Can’t say I’ve ever seen any issue or notes about coka-cola, name brand cars, gun names/designs, in a book before. Also could say I don’t read that many books! :PWhat does copyright protect?Copyright does not protect ideas, nor does it protect facts. It protects only the form in which ideas or facts are expressed. For example, you may read a copyrighted paper and appropriate its ideas, or facts it conveys, into your own work without violating the copyright. However, you may not reproduce the actual text of the paper (unless fair use or another exception to copyright protection applies), nor may you evade this prohibition simply by changing some words or thoroughly paraphrasing the content.Copyright and Fair UseKept reading on and found this :Can I avoid infringement by crediting the source?No. Copyright infringement and plagiarism are two different things. Plagiarism is the misappropriation of another's work, passing it off as your own without indicating the source. It is possible to plagiarize a work without infringing the copyright—for example if you take another’s ideas without proper attribution, even though you do not copy the language, or you borrow from a work whose copyright has expired. Conversely, it is possible to infringe without plagiarizing. Properly citing the work you are copying does not avoid liability for infringement.One last little bit here (basically confirms to me you’re free to do what you wanted)There are some things that copyright law does not protect. Copyright law does not protect the titles of books or movies, nor does it protect short phrases such as, “Make my day.” Copyright protection also doesn’t cover facts, ideas, or theories. These things are free for all to use without authorization.
I am writing a novel, do I need permission to mention a brand name, like Hyatt or Walmart?
If you are mentioning public places owned by governments like Central Park, JFK Airport or Government owned Museums etc. Then you can refer those places as it is and describe them same way as you would do, to one of your character, place inside your novel.Now all privately owned places like Disney Land, Hyatt or Walmart you may use them, if that place is needed to be part of story to move forward.If your character is going to Walmart for grocery and something happened in between and story moved to a different direction then Walmart can always be referred in your story.Same will be the case when your character went to meet a client and checked into Hyatt that night and all the action happened at the next morning after meeting the client outside the Hotel or at his office then there is no harm in using the actual name of any real Hotel.Fictitious name or reference is recommended, when some action going to happen at that private place.Although with so many novels release in a year, no body tracks or give a damn about their name references unless that Novel is pretty famous or someone bought the attention to the correct authority about their name reference in your novel.So choice is yours, I will recommend to write the entire story with Walmart or Hyatt in it. Then revisit that story and find out how they are standing against the context of entire story or novel.Will your reference can cause damage to their reputation or has potential to cause dent to their brand value? If the answer is yes, only then replace the name with either fictitious or reference name, like X-Mart grocery store or that grocery store with huge parking lot.
Is it illegal to mention a real band in a book you plan on publishing?
If you were to publish (through conventional means), the manuscript would be vetted by the publisher to assure there were no legal problems. If you are writing fiction and mention a real band, that is not a problem. For example, your character might say something about going to see a band perform. You cannot however sully the name of the band by fabricating stories that could reflect negatively. You ought not, for example, suggest that your character was shooting up with the Jonas Brothers. That's why manuscripts are vetted: to protect the author and the publisher from legal liability. Write your story and don't worry about it. If things need to be adjusted later, that is not difficult to do. Good luck with your story!
Must authors get permission to name people in their acknowledgements?
A dedication and an acknowledgement are two different things. The dedication describes the people, things, events etc. that inspired the author to write the book. This could include people that contributed to the book, but it doesn't have to. I can dedicate my book to God or Nikola Tesla without their permission. If I dedicated my book to Taylor Swift (not likely, but for the sake of argument), I wouldn't have to get her permission either, but could find myself in a difficult position if Ms. Swift's management felt I was unreasonably borrowing her celebrity to promote my book or create confusion about her alleged connection to my book. An acknowledgement, on the other hand, recognizes all who contributed to the book. If these acknowledgements are factual and the contributors did not specirfically prohibit the author from disclosing their role in the creation of the book, no permission is needed.
Popular names/name trends you hate?
I'm not having kids anytime soon (I'm still in school, and a bit young for kids. I'm also kind of unpopular with the guys) but I'm interested in names because I love writing stories. I have a lot of characters with made up names since I'm writing a fantasy novel, but quite a few of them also have uncommon, but not unheard of, real-life names such as Verena and Aurelian. But what I really can't stand is these parents making up names for a REAL CHILD. This is a kid, not a character in a fantasy novel, so they deserve a real name. Trends I hate are: - putting random syllables/parts of other names together to make a name (e.g. Kaylyn, Aubrianna, Alexiella) - using random words as names (e.g. Cadence, Poet, Ocean, Blaze) - using surnames as names (e.g. Bentley, McKenzie, Harper, Madison) Another question: Are there any common but real names you hate, from associations with people you don't like, because they are just too common or any other reason? For boys I can't stand Thomas and James because to me they sound too stuck up without nicknames such as Tom and Jimmy, and there's also a strong connection to Thomas the Tank Engine (at least for me). I know a cool guy named Henry, but it's also the name of my annoying younger brother. Edward reminds me too much of Twilight, and Lachlan is the name of a particularly mean kid I know. For girls I dislike Elizabeth because it's my worst enemy's name and an INSANELY common middle name (it's also my grandma's name. I do love my grandma, but don't like her name). I can't stand Emma either because a particularly annoying girl I go to school with has that name. Annabelle just sounds way too much like a "pretty princess" name to me, and Jemima is a name I can only associate with Play School, another kiddy show (it's the name of the ragdoll-puppet thing). Gemma, I just hate the sound of. I know I mostly dislike names with a typically British sound to them, but it's not because I hate the British at all. I just can't stand stereotypical upper-class British names, especially when Australian parents give their kids those names only to look classy and cultured. If you like any of the names I mentioned here, traditional OR modern, there's nothing wrong with that at all. It's my opinion, and I'd love to hear yours!
Give me a first name of someone from your highschool who was popular?
Ryan. He was the nicest, funniest, most intelligent and most sincere person I ever met. He had a way of making everyone feel accepted. Everyone, I mean, EVERYONE liked him. All his teachers absolutely loved him. No one said anything bad about him. He had friends from every "clique" from the b boy dancers, to the advanced kids, to the jocks, and to the unknowns. He graduated with honors, and was voted most likely to become famous. haha and the summer after graduation he was a life guard/ camp counselor and died of heart failure. That was one of the most heart breaking moments of my life, and I only knew him casually. He is now inducted my high schools hall of fame, and had a tree planted in our county library, along with a scholarship in his name. He really was one in a million. http://www.ryandickerson.org/
When writing a fiction book, can I use the names of actual stores?
You can, but it is generally considered a no-no in cases where it may be portrayed negatively, as this can get you into trouble with slander and libel changes.I would recommend that you change the name of the store, the descriptions of the place and the people who work there and the description of the store itself.You can mention the names of famous or national stores in passing, though.E.gHe was the dumb sort of person who would ask for a knife and fork in McDonalds.(True story, I saw someone do that once. I have yet to recover.)It is considered a rule of thumb, however, to use fictional shops and places, or to use major organisations (e.g The NYPD, the local fire department, a town hall, etc.) in a fictitious manner.