So what is the legal line between inspiration and rip-off?
I am writing something that is basically the setting of a manga. The characters are virtually the same (with different names and attributes) and the setting is a ditto copy. All proper nouns are different and the details of the story are different. The outcome is also different. Can I be sued?
I know that 50 shades of gray was originally a Twilight fanfiction published on the net, then later the Twilight characters were removed and made into an independent story. In the movie industry ripoffs are all too common. Even hollywood rips off ideas from Korean and other industries sometimes without giving a penny in credit. Don't even have to say about other countries who are even more blatant.
>>7704271
>the details of the story are different. The outcome is also different.
If it's that different, I dunno if people will be too upset or anything.
If you're really scared, go for the "fair use cuz of parody/criticism" tactic. Like, have a character read the manga and say, "Wow that's just like our story," or something to heighten your intent that this is taking inspiration from it. Yeah, it doesn't have to be that blatant, but you know what I mean.
>>7704271
>worrying about getting sued for writing a book that you'll never actually write
Even if you manage to write it you'll never get it published
>>7704311
I have already written it and sending it to a few agents. I'm wondering if I should reveal this fact to them or not. Yes, maybe I won't be published, maybe the world will come apart tomorrow. Who knows..
>>7704314
Nah don't tell anyone and see if you get away with it
>>7704271
As long as the plot is appreciably different and the characters have different names you most likely won't get sued. Though people who recognize the similarities will still call it a ripoff.
For the sake of analogy, let's say there's Death Note. In the original a guy gets a notebook using which he determine when and how a person dies. The same premise but different characters and setting - maybe the "deathnote" is some iPad or group of assasins or something. But the mechanism is basically the same.
Or, say, Mirai Nikki. In the original people have "diaries" which reveals entries from the future. Different holders of the diary are in a battle royale. Now in your rip-off version, there is a similar future-telling device and a similar battle royale game, but with different characters and dynamics.
The second one is a more blatant rip-off than the first. My own novella lies somewhere between the two. The premise is the same for half the novel but gets broken mid-way, the dynamics are similar with a few minor differences. The story and conclusion are entirely different.
Similar question, can I write about a celebrity, put their name in the title, have a character named for them and clearly inspired by them, and get away with it legally?
The work is clearly a parody btw.
>>7705828
You might still get sued for defamation. It really depends on the celebrity and exactly what you do with their character.
>>7705828
If South Park can get away with it, anyone can. But then again, Matt and Trey probably have a room full of lawyers to do their lawyerin'
Dead Celebs won't be a problem. Philip Roth wrote a book where the guy who first flew a plane from New York to Paris becomes President and turns USA into a Nazi-KKK wet dream. Oh, and the name of the protagonist is "Philip Roth". Lol, donno what Americans saw in him to proclaim him as one of their greats.
Salman Rushdie published the Midnight's Children when Indira Gandhi was still the PM and that Paki dictator was still ruling. Both were referenced in the book, not positively iirc, and Rushdie was an Indian citizen.
