Young Writers Society

You know how "Law & Order" bases its episodes on "ripped-from-the-headlines" incidents (that is, it takes its inspiration from true events)? Well, the show's creators and NBC, for that matter, have been sued or at least accused several times of libel and suchlike. Can the same sort of thing happen to writers who also base their plots around real cases and real characters?

Please use this thread to discuss other aspects of copyright law as well. I know titles are not copyright and the same is true for names UNLESS the name in question happens to be part of a film franchise (e.g. Harry Potter).

If OJ Simpson can write about killing his wife, you can write about anything.

If you're basing it off a specific event, and this is a fiction story, I strongly suggest changing people's names.