: Re: Referencing real and fictional people/characters in novels - legal implications I've been going out of my way to avoid referencing famous people in my novel as well as fictional characters, but

As long as you're just making references that don't portray them in a negative light, you're fine for brands and celebrities. Things like Jaguar or Rice Krispies don't really date a work, either.

Fictional characters, however, are copyrighted for a long time. So no using Luke skywalker as a character. Your characters can talk about Luke, swing swords around like Luke, and watch Luke. They just can't BE Luke.

But be careful about using pop culture. A lot of millennials wouldn't know who Rosanne Barr is, and have never heard of New Kids on the Block. To them David Copperfield is a Dickens character, not a magician. If your character listens to the Victrola, hears Father Coughlin on the radio, shaves with Bar-sol, and rides an Indian motorcycle on his way to his date with a telephone switchboard operator, that will place him firmly in the 40's. If instead he listens to Iggy Pop on his 8-track in his Trans-Am on the way to his job at the Hard Rock cafe, it's probably the early 80's.

So it's okay to add pop culture references, but make sure they will still be relatable in 30 years. Star Wars and BMW are safe. The Beatles are too. One Direction and Kristen Stewart are not.

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