: Re: Is it okay to publish a fan-fiction book from a TV series? I'm 13 years old and I'm writing a story called 'Destiny'. This book is a fanfiction of the TV-Show "Merlin" (the TV series 2008)

@Radia543

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The short answer is NO, you don't have to ask for permission. Merlin, and the characters associated with him, were created in around the 1680's according to this site (a very interesting read - with video included):
firemark.com/2016/02/18/can-name-characters-famous-characters-old-book-entertainment-law-asked-answered/
If you are taking from a series, for example using Thor and Loki directly from the Marvel Universe, then maybe need check. Characters can be trademarked, but the names themselves cannot be trademarked because they've appeared in much older works. Another example is Tolkien's characters names, taken directly from mythology (although the characters are different).

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