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Copyright and brand names?



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Wed Mar 02, 2011 6:21 am
onceuponatim3xo says...



So, I was wondering why it is so rare to see products named in novels? Is there a copyright issue with it or something? Do they have to pay some of the royalties to the company if a brand name is published in a book? If anything, it would make more sense for the company to pay the author for product placement...

The same goes for specific people and bands....how does that work?

In my novel, I briefly mention a Ford Taurus and a Chevy pickup, along with the multiple times I mention my main character's mustang. If I were to ever try and be published, would that be a problem?
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Wed Mar 02, 2011 6:30 am
Ego says...



An author I've read a lot of that uses specific product names is Dean Koontz. He specifies guns, cars, sodas, etc. I've never heard of him having to pay royalties or anything. I don't foresee it being a problem.

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Wed Mar 02, 2011 8:11 am
Nate says...



It's fine; you have nothing to worry about.

Part of the reason why you don't often see brand names in novels is because it can disrupt the flow for the reader. There's also a number of people who think it promotes consumerism.

Also, most of the time, mentioning the brand name is merely redundant and silly. After all, would you say "He reached for a bar of soap," or "He reached for a bar of dove soap"?

But mentioning the model of a car can often be essential, and you are in no way violating anyone's copyright or trademark by using any brand name in your work.
  





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Wed Mar 02, 2011 8:22 am
onceuponatim3xo says...



Thanks so much! I had always wondered about that. That makes a lot more sense now. :)
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Wed Mar 02, 2011 9:23 pm
Rosendorn says...



I'll toss in that it can vary from company to company. A handful of companies are very territorial of their brand names.
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Sun Mar 06, 2011 2:50 am
Kale says...



Another reason why brand or specific band names aren't commonly used is because they can date your work. Consider what having your trend-savvy MC listening to the Spice Girls or Backstreet Boys would do to how your character is perceived nowadays; they'd probably get laughed off and never be taken seriously again (at least as far as trend-savviness is concerned).

There's also the risk with using brand names that not everyone will know what the brand is known for, or that it has changed dramatically over time. Not everyone will know that the Z's your characters go shop at is a local grocery store chain unless you state it directly in the text, but that tends to come off as redundant, as Nate already mentioned.
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