FLIGHT

Hi all,

I'm working on a book that takes place in some actual locales. I was wondering if anyone knows the rules regarding having a real business with its logo shown in your comic?

And likewise, what's the legality of replacing, say, 'Burger King' with something like 'Burger Queen' with the exact same trademark burger logo?


Penny for your thoughts and experience....

thanks!

_________________
Jon Sukarangsan

Yarrrrr.
FortuneCookiePress.com
jsukarangsan@gmail.com

I'm no expert (not even close!), but I think you're in the clear as long as no lawyer is able to claim that you are either defaming their company or leading readers to believe you are sponsored by them. Of course the more you use a given corporation in your book the higher the probability of that happening- if a large chunk of your story takes place in Burger King, I'd change it to something else.

So far the rules for comics seem to be a bit more forgiving than for movies and TV. Probably because there's no money in comics.

_________________
Jonathon Dalton

Hi...i think you need to consult a lawyer for a better suggestion.
I posted a link may it will help you...
http://arnoldbeyerkatz.com

It is not a problem if you get the company's permission. Burgar King might be hard, but if it is a local mom'n'pop, you might get luckey.

_________________

I have a similar question, so thought I would just add to the legal thread. I'm currently working on a story that is music-related. I was wondering if there's any rule when it comes to bringing up band and song names that actually exist in real life? I only intend to use them as pop reference, and won't be pasting in song lyrics or anything like that. I know movies do it all the time, but would like to know how it's done in comics.

Also, are we allowed to quote books? This might be a bit more iffy, but part of my story involves a character quoting a line from a well-known book. It's kind of a plot point, but if it can't be done legally I'll for sure try to find a way to work around it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!