Can you use real companies in fiction?

Often they are used to lend the setting a sense of authenticity. The only time you should avoid real brands in your writing is if you are planning to say something about them that is untrue and potentially libelous. But in most cases, mentioning a brand name in a novel is actually giving the company free advertising.

Can you use real names when writing a book?

Using real people in your fiction—whether they are correctly named or not—can be legally hazardous. If an author includes enough details that a specific fictional character is identifiable as an actual person, that person could possibly pursue legal action.

Can you put someone name in a book without their permission?

First, a simple rule. If what you write about a person is positive or even neutral, then you don’t have defamation or privacy issues. For instance, you may thank someone by name in your acknowledgements without their permission. If you are writing a non-fiction book, you may mention real people and real events.

Can someone sue you for writing about them in a book?

Defamation. The offense of injuring a person’s character, fame, or reputation by false and malicious statements.” The term covers both libel (written) and slander (spoken). Only living people can sue for defamation, so someone can’t file a lawsuit against you for defamation through an estate or relatives.

Can you get sued for writing a fiction book about someone?

Defamation. The defamed person need not be identified by name. The writer need only use enough identifying information in creating the fictional character so that the real person is identifiable to readers. The real person must be living to sue for defamation (the dead cannot suffer reputational harm).

Can you slander a fictional character?

The court wrote: “For a fictional character to constitute actionable defamation, the description of the fictional character must be so closely akin to the real person claiming to be defamed that a reader of the book, knowing the real person, would have no difficulty linking the two.

Can you be sued for writing a novel?

Writers don’t get sued very often—and thanks to the First Amendment, even when they do, they usually prevail. Many writers mistakenly assume their publishing company will protect them—after all, it’s a large corporation with, presumably, a bunch of suits eagerly waiting to avenge you.