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Not getting sued (currently 3566 views) |
Simon |
Posted: February 12th, 2017, 11:06am |
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New English, self taught comedy writer
LocationLondon Posts174 Posts Per Day 0.05 |
Hello, I'm self-publishing a book soon, and I was wondering if mentioning the following are ok... (If anyone is interested, I can give you a free copy).
1: Song titles/bands/celebrity names 2: Vladimir Putin, and other people like him 3: Website names 4: The houses of parliament, and what supposedly goes on inside of it
Thank youuu... |
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eldave1 |
Posted: February 12th, 2017, 11:38am |
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January Project Group
LocationSouthern California Posts6874 Posts Per Day 1.86 |
Hello, I'm self-publishing a book soon, and I was wondering if mentioning the following are ok... (If anyone is interested, I can give you a free copy).
1: Song titles/bands/celebrity names 2: Vladimir Putin, and other people like him 3: Website names 4: The houses of parliament, and what supposedly goes on inside of it
Thank youuu... |
Not a lawyer so I hesitate to comment and there are complications not addressed in your query. Song titles are normally allowed - song lyrics are not. So if you are using a title where it is also a lyric (e.g., Jumping Jack Flash) - you may be in trouble. Exceptions would include where the line is common. As an example. if you have the line "Let it Be" in your dialogue - you are fine. If you have the line - speaking words of wisdom, let it be - you're screwed. If you have a character say I listened to Let It Be last night - you should be fine. In terms of famous people - if you say - you look like Alec Baldwin - you are okay. If you say you abuse your children like Alec Baldwin, you could be facing liable issues. Mentioning website names is generally okay - kind of the same approach for celebrity - it's the context. Government (at least in the US) is the most fair game as it is considered public domain - assuming you are not revealing classified info. Hell, you get even use Trump's presidential portrait without permission because it is a public image. Again - it is generally going to be dependent on the context in which you use these items. |
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Reply: 1 - 24 |
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Simon |
Posted: February 12th, 2017, 11:51am |
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New English, self taught comedy writer
LocationLondon Posts174 Posts Per Day 0.05 |
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Reply: 2 - 24 |
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Simon |
Posted: February 12th, 2017, 11:57am |
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New English, self taught comedy writer
LocationLondon Posts174 Posts Per Day 0.05 |
Oh yeah, is it ok to make fun of Putin? |
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Reply: 3 - 24 |
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eldave1 |
Posted: February 12th, 2017, 12:00pm |
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January Project Group
LocationSouthern California Posts6874 Posts Per Day 1.86 |
Oh yeah, is it ok to make fun of Putin? |
Not according to the people he poisoned And - yeah. Think "The Interview" |
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Reply: 4 - 24 |
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Simon |
Posted: February 12th, 2017, 12:16pm |
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New English, self taught comedy writer
LocationLondon Posts174 Posts Per Day 0.05 |
Ohh, yeah. Ok, thanks again. |
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Reply: 5 - 24 |
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Bogey |
Posted: February 12th, 2017, 12:54pm |
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New
LocationThe Chair Posts232 Posts Per Day 0.05 |
Oh yeah, is it ok to make fun of Putin? |
Saturday Night Live does it every week. |
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Reply: 6 - 24 |
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eldave1 |
Posted: February 12th, 2017, 1:00pm |
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January Project Group
LocationSouthern California Posts6874 Posts Per Day 1.86 |
Saturday Night Live does it every week.
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And well! |
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Reply: 7 - 24 |
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Simon |
Posted: February 12th, 2017, 1:25pm |
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New English, self taught comedy writer
LocationLondon Posts174 Posts Per Day 0.05 |
How do you work out who's ok to make fun of, then? |
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Reply: 8 - 24 |
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eldave1 |
Posted: February 12th, 2017, 2:02pm |
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January Project Group
LocationSouthern California Posts6874 Posts Per Day 1.86 |
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Reply: 9 - 24 |
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Simon |
Posted: February 12th, 2017, 2:08pm |
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New English, self taught comedy writer
LocationLondon Posts174 Posts Per Day 0.05 |
Ah. Is calling Ozzy Osbourne a fruitcake ok? It's kind of what he tries to portray himself as... |
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Reply: 10 - 24 |
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Simon |
Posted: February 12th, 2017, 2:08pm |
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New English, self taught comedy writer
LocationLondon Posts174 Posts Per Day 0.05 |
I'll read the link then... |
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Reply: 11 - 24 |
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Cooper |
Posted: February 15th, 2017, 11:54pm |
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New
Posts67 Posts Per Day 0.02 |
From a random website: "Public figures have a more difficult time proving defamation. Politicians or celebrities are understood to take some risk in being before the public eye and many of them profit by their public persona. A celebrity must prove that the party defaming them knew the statements were false, made them with actual malice, or was negligent in saying or writing them. Proving these elements can be an uphill battle. However, an outrageously inaccurate statement that's harmful to one's career can be grounds for a successful defamation suit, even if the subject is famous. For example, some celebrities have won suits against tabloids for false statements regarding their ability to work, such as an inaccurate statement that the star had a drinking problem." Hope this is helpful! |
| Am I on the right track with THIS ? Let me know. |
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Reply: 12 - 24 |
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Simon |
Posted: February 16th, 2017, 4:16am |
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New English, self taught comedy writer
LocationLondon Posts174 Posts Per Day 0.05 |
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Reply: 13 - 24 |
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TonyDionisio |
Posted: February 16th, 2017, 7:57am |
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Been Around Damnit, get to the point!
LocationTennessee Posts768 Posts Per Day 0.19 |
As someone I know recently told me...
"You haven't arrived in the industry until you're suing someone."
She did give me permission to use the phrase. As a writer, one always looks to arm-up with sayings.
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Reply: 14 - 24 |
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