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...

Quoted from Simon 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.

Ok, great thanks.

Oh yeah, is it ok to make fun of Putin?

Quoted from Simon Oh yeah, is it ok to make fun of Putin?

Not according to the people he poisoned

And - yeah. Think "The Interview"

Ohh, yeah. Ok, thanks again.

Quoted from Simon Oh yeah, is it ok to make fun of Putin?

Saturday Night Live does it every week.

Quoted from Bogey Saturday Night Live does it every week.

And well!

How do you work out who's ok to make fun of, then?

Simon - there are no simple yes or not answer to your questions. It is a complex. But it is easy to research. For example: this:


http://kellywarnerlaw.com/satire-v-defamation/

Ah. Is calling Ozzy Osbourne a fruitcake ok? It's kind of what he tries to portray himself as...

I'll read the link then...

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!

Yep, thanks...

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.