All Questions
334 questions
2
votes
3
answers
186
views
Autobiography and lawsuits [closed]
If I write an autobiography and include living family members who have done some very strange things, am I at the risk of being sued?
- 21
1
vote
2
answers
492
views
Is it legal for my book title to be similar to another book's title?
My book's title is similar to Around the World in 80 Days. The premise is making a journey in 80 days and while I am sure that using a similar premise is fine (especially since my book is a bit of a ...
- 2,232
3
votes
2
answers
343
views
What will be the copyright situation if I self-publish an anthology of my unpublished short stories?
If I'm planning on self-publishing an anthology of unpublished short stories that I wrote, do I also need to copyright each story, or will the entire anthology's copyright suffice for each story?
1
vote
2
answers
324
views
Can I use a scientific theory for my story?
Let's say that I read an article on a scientific magazine about, I don't know, a new cosmological model or something theorized by a very smart guy.
Can I use it as the core idea of my sci-fi story or ...
- 111
1
vote
1
answer
83
views
Can you claim postage as an expense in the US if it's for a non-paying market?
As a writer, there are many things that can be claimed as expenses if they help you to generate income (or try to generate income). Postage is one, but my question is specifically this: Can you claim ...
- 210
37
votes
10
answers
14k
views
How to prevent ebook piracy from stealing your livelihood?
I'm a part-time writer, still working on my novel (with a long term goal to make a living as a writer). My partner is also a writer, full time, with a couple dozen novels in ebook format, who makes a ...
- 5,292
-3
votes
1
answer
123
views
IRL companies roasted in fiction, what would happen? [duplicate]
So, It's now just out of plain curiosity, if I were to write:
During those times, selfish assholes ruled over a significant part of
Earth, the three most notorious of them was Google, the ...
- 3,347
1
vote
2
answers
251
views
Is nudity allowed in historical nonfiction?
I have written a historical nonfiction account of a nudist camp that I went to with my family as a teenager. The camp later hosted the Miss Nude America contest and became extremely well known.
My ...
- 27
1
vote
1
answer
892
views
How does public domain/copyright work across different countries?
What if I want to modify/sell a book that is copyrighted in my country, but is under public domain in X country? If I download a file containing the X country version, am I allowed to do this? If not, ...
- 13
0
votes
1
answer
934
views
Can I reference real companies in a novel? [duplicate]
I'm starting to work through some ideas with a book I want to write. The protagonist is computer science genius that finds flaws and breaks through the security of several major companies. I'm not ...
- 163
2
votes
1
answer
201
views
How do I reconcile the difficulties of writing a roman à clef?
I've just finished reading Saul Bellow's Humboldt's Gift and, in reading the reviews afterwards, discovered that it's a roman à clef (which has been defined as "a novel about real life, overlaid with ...
1
vote
3
answers
362
views
How can I ban someone from publishing my work without my permission?
So I wrote this article on my own, and shared it between my friends via online, but I did not want anyone to use it for any monetary reasons, such as publishing it into a book and selling it. Is there ...
3
votes
1
answer
263
views
Can different publishers publish books taking place in the same story universe?
I have recently published a sci-fi novel, and I am planning on writing another novel set in the same universe. I plan to send it to a different publisher this time.
Is it legal that I have two ...
- 31
-2
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Is it copyright infringement to Disney if I were to name my online company BuzzLightYear? [closed]
I want to use the name BuzzLightYear (one word) as a business name. What are the laws on character copyright infringement for just using the name of a Disney character? And in this case a slightly ...
7
votes
1
answer
397
views
Can I publish a book containing content licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License version 1.2?
I'm writing a book and I'd like to include text that I found under the GNU Free Documentation License, version 1.2
I have no problems attributing the content to the source, but I don't understand the ...
- 173
3
votes
3
answers
184
views
How would I give the rights to my novel to my parents?
I'm wondering because due to reasons I will not disclose, I am not allowed to make any money. I was wondering if I could give the rights to my book to my parents so I could publish it, and they could ...
- 81
3
votes
1
answer
73
views
Confusing author guidelines
I am going to publish an article on this website.
I was going through author guidelines section and I found this piece of information:
By sharing any contribution you agree to grant 90min.in ...
- 31
4
votes
1
answer
217
views
Required Notices On Publishing A Public Domain Works
I am in the process of editing works in the Public Domain. I want them to be as clean as possible, so they are more like works of art. No Introductions, no foot-notes, no prefaces, etc..
I really ...
- 41
1
vote
1
answer
125
views
Using direct references to Marvel without being sued [duplicate]
Can I make a low-key reference to a Marvel movie in my book without anyone noticing?
And if they do notice, can I get sued?
1
vote
6
answers
3k
views
Use of real organization in fiction
I have just finished a mystery in which I have used the name of a real community organization. It's an organization that people either love or hate because it represents the upper echelon of society, ...
- 11
7
votes
5
answers
6k
views
Is fan fiction publishable?
This is a question that has been touched on here and there, and yet I can't find a good answer.
Suppose I am writing a story set in the Star Wars universe. I don't want to dodge copyrights and ...
- 6,153
5
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Using Trademarked Public Domain Characters as supporting characters in story
I've been trying to find a decent answer to this question for days but no luck so far. I've decided to pose the question to you all, and hopefully some of you will know the answer.
Tarzan is in the ...
- 51
2
votes
2
answers
398
views
Should I use a disclaimer in my novel?
I recently finished writing my first novel. Many of the characters resemble people in real life, and they are not always portrayed in a flattering manner. Should I put in a disclaimer that it is a ...
- 21
2
votes
4
answers
486
views
Trademarked toys as an inspiration to a novel - should I contact the producer?
Sorry for any mistakes - I'm not a native English speaker.
I've started writing my first novel which I would like to attempt to publish. All of the characters are based on my animal toy collection, ...
- 23
0
votes
4
answers
212
views
Is it legal to publish a public domain text with an alternate ending?
We were talking about this with my teacher in the language class. What if someone took a public domain text and published an alternate ending? Would this be legal?
Clarification:
In my country (...
- 3
6
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Using names of video game, movie, and comic book characters and group names in novel, but as tribute to them
I'm planning on writing about a merc group in the not-so-far future that is named and uses nicknames in honor of the group and characters from NAMCO's PSX game Tales of Destiny.
Is that allowed if I ...
- 71
4
votes
1
answer
195
views
Can you publish an ebook as an Editor of someone else's writing under a pen name/pseudonym?
I have a collection of short notes and letters from someone I knew (who gave me permission to publish or share the writings) and I'm thinking if I can self-publish them as an ebook as "Editor" under a ...
- 41
6
votes
2
answers
275
views
How do I calculate how many copies I am planning to print?
I wrote a fan-fiction story and had emailed a company to get a license from them so I could publish it. (The license would cover copyright stuff, etc.)
However, the person in charge of licensing ...
- 101
3
votes
1
answer
171
views
Republishing public domain work by family ancestors
Both my husband's great grandfather and, on my side, my own great-great grandfather were published authors. Their books appear on the Bibliobazaar/Open Source sites. Although we are direct ...
- 31
6
votes
5
answers
5k
views
Is it illegal to imagine a real person for a fictional character?
There are times I meet someone for a brief time, maybe a couple hours, and their personality impresses me enough to create a fictional character about them. Obviously I am adding my own attributes to ...
- 601
1
vote
2
answers
206
views
Nintendo Based Copyright
I am writing a story for publication that has one of it's key features is these other worlds/universes being the basis of the videos games we see in real life. As such I was hoping to have 2 books in ...
- 11
3
votes
1
answer
76
views
How to head off a legal reading of a term or phrase?
I posted this over on the Eng Lang Stack, but they say it likely is more apropos here.
Terms like 'make whole', 'encumbered', etc have both non-financial/non-legal usages and financial/legal usages ...
- 31
12
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Legality over using a REAL museum and REAL artifacts in a fictional - HEIST novel
I have a question regarding the legality of using a real museum and real artifacts in my Heist book which is almost ready for publication. Initially, it will be self-published via the amazon kindle ...
- 151
3
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Copyright of a book which is out of print
I have a question on a book which its last edition was published about 50 years ago and its author died about 47 years ago. Now it is out of print. The last edition of the book I am interested was ...
user23845
1
vote
2
answers
359
views
Math textbook - Crediting sources and copyright protection of source materials
I want to write a simple textbook on standard high-school level algebra.
Most of what we know about the field, we have known it for centuries. So I'm fairly certain the majority, if not the entirety, ...
- 113
0
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Would an Australian need an ABN for self-publishing a book?
I know that generally businesses in Australia need an Australian Business Number (ABN) for tax reasons. I recall reading somewhere (not sure if it was here or another site) that by self-publishing you'...
- 1,042
12
votes
5
answers
6k
views
My autobiography is exciting, but I'm an unknown. Should I make it a novel instead?
I've kept diaries all my life and now have over 100...which I've recently started turning into an autobiography - where some of the original diary quotes are included along with the new text.
I ...
- 123
1
vote
1
answer
267
views
Are there any legal restrictions on using the actual names of famous people in a historical novel?
I am writing a novel that contains spy elements. Although the plot is based in the near future, it alludes to recent past historical events. Specifically, it discusses the 1985 'Year of the Spy' and ...
- 2,640
1
vote
2
answers
4k
views
Can I use a real secondary school for my book?
Although I have done a lot of research I still do not know if I can use a real secondary school in my book. Can I do this? Are there precautions I can take if I do? What are my options? Should I ...
- 21
1
vote
2
answers
99
views
'Out of print' not profitable or holding rights indefinitely by a Publisher?
Umm... The main cause the Publishers give more often than not is, the book was not successful to warrant a second run and hence it's out of print or 'it's just old'. I just read this question which ...
- 225
1
vote
1
answer
401
views
Should I be worried about sharing story ideas online? [duplicate]
There are a lot of websites and forums that offer help to writers online - including stack exchange. I've started writing several books, but haven't completed any of them. I believe that my story ...
- 113
1
vote
1
answer
52
views
Restrictions On Producing A Playscript
So the annual play at my university is coming up and i wanted it to be on a novel i recently read. I'm ready to adopt it but the thing is that i wanted to know if i might encounter any trouble with ...
- 11
1
vote
6
answers
582
views
There's an actor with my lead character's name - how big a problem is this going to be?
I began work A Long Time Ago(tm) on this particular book and only took it up again about eighteen months ago. Back in 2007, I checked around but didn't see anybody of note with the name of my ...
- 13
1
vote
1
answer
11k
views
How to replace "and/or" in sentences with multiple terms?
When writing a legal document, what is the proper way to replace and/or in a list with more than two terms to remove ambiguity?
For example, if I just have two terms:
deliver apples and/or oranges
...
- 111
3
votes
2
answers
204
views
Are there any problems using the real-life address of a building if the building is still standing?
I'm writing a story that takes place in the future, sometime around the 2200s, give or take a few decades. The main characters live in San Francisco, in a repair shop that's been built right on top of ...
- 31
5
votes
1
answer
5k
views
How do disclaimers work for fictional books that are loosely modeled on real events?
First: I did look for similar questions and this is the closest one I could find, and it's not quite answering the question I'm asking: Legalities about fictionalizing current events
Here's the ...
- 151
1
vote
3
answers
728
views
Using real a car logo or gun in crime fiction - can I be sued for it?
If I use a real car company in telling a story about a bank heist, can I be sued for it? What could happen if I do use the company in that way? Say if I say the men drove to the bank in a Ford van, ...
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
175
views
Accidentally sent a work-in-progress to a stranger
I was sending files between two email accounts and accidentally sent the first 8k words of a work-in-progress to a stranger. I'm not published, should I be worried or am I being arrogant? Is there ...
- 55
4
votes
4
answers
2k
views
How do we draw the line between plagiarism and allusion?
It’s no secret that in literature we see characters that remind us of other characters. Furthermore, it’s no secret we see plots that remind us of other plots.
For example, an author reads Book A and ...
- 115
3
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Can I use a real college in my fiction book? [duplicate]
So for the novel I'm writing, the main character is a college student living in Michigan. Is it okay for me to have her go to a college that really is in Michigan? I wouldn't be displaying it in a ...
- 31