Questions tagged [libel]
This tag should be used for questions about libel or defamation in literary works, such as whether something you use in a fictional context might be perceived as libel by a real person or corporation.
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My character is a child abductor; can he drive a brand-name car?
I'm about to self-pub my first novel, a domestic thriller with a time-travel twist, and in the story, one of my main characters abducts a child (he's not a pedophile).
He owns a 1970 Barracuda--the ...
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Using religious movements in novels without getting sued?
I am writing a book which takes a pretty negative view of the Hare Krishna movement (note that evidence of this within the ISKCON actually exists). I don't have anything against HK, but portraying ...
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Pop star names and other famous people or characters
If I write a page about a current pop star that talks about what they're doing, that is a fact such as dedicating themselves to Satan or involved in witchcraft, can I be sued by them even though it's ...
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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?
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Can I use a public university as the setting for my fiction?
The odds of actually publishing are low, but just in case, I wanted to know if using a public university campus as a setting for my tragic romance would open me up to libel suits or anything else. A ...
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Satirical writing: how much can you say about famous athletes?
I recently re-read a story I did from 2012, and reading it cold made me realize how much I liked it. There was just one problem: the narrator mentions real athletes. Writing from an alter ego, in an ...
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Is it permitted to mention a real life work of fiction in your story?
I am working on a new project that draws influence from a currently running television show. What I want to do is make a reference to that show in my work. Almost as a joke to say, "We're nothing like ...
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