: Re: Can I use real presidents (past and present) and real companies in a fictional story? I'm not sure if I want to use real people and companies or make up an entirely different world with different

@Caterina108

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I love alternate history, this is where you take a historical account and change something, aliens invade during world war two, I travel back in time to kill my grandfather, etc.

There are specific rules to handling historical characters, firstly they aren't your character, be true to their known character. If you change a historical character you must have a good and obvious reason for the change that is clearly explained. Companies are built of people If you change a company you must either change the regulatory environment first, or change which people or change a historical character subject to the above guidelines, otherwise the company is not your character, be as accurate as possible. when in doubt let the company or historical character be great whether it be like taco bell in demolition man or like Sampson as he died.

If a historical character won't do what you want, kill him, all dead men are heroes or mayrters and the guy who took over can be your own creation.

Although these rules may not fit what you are doing exactly I still think they may be of help.

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