Greetings everyone!
I'm currently writing a Cyberpunk graphic novel, some of which is set in "virtual" world (think Ready Player One). I'm wanting to write very recognisable character-avatars that people use in my novel, (eg. yoda, transformers, halo Master Chief, etc). I'm worried about copyright, etc, as this will be a Kickstarter campaign once finished to produce the full novel.
Any help would be appreciated. Thank in advance, and please feel free to connect! :)
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The movie "Ready Player One" had a very similar concept to what you are trying to accomplish. There were various avatars from different companies. I'm not sure what deals the producers made to allow the different franchises to appear. But you can bet it cost a lot of money.
It's common knowledge that using other people's copyrighted intellectual property can get you sued. Marvel, DC, Star Wars, Hasbro, etc. all of these already have licensing agreements with major corporations that jealously guard their brands. For example - McDonald's has a reputation for suing mom and pop stores even if the owners names are McDonald and don't sell food.
Be careful and do your research. One franchise may give you a pass, while another may want cash to allow you to use even defunct material. Nintendo has issued "Cease and desist" letters to several people remaking or emulating 80's 8-bit games that they haven't made or sold in decades.
There is NO COPYRIGHT IN AN IDEA. So long as you don't use actual avatars, logos, trademarks which other people have published, you're good. This is very, very far from an original idea which boosts your legal copyright position. But that might maybe make you think again about it's originality and make sure you have something new to say.
Hire a lawyer.
maybe i'll just stay safe and steer well clear lol, thanks! :)
They might give you clearance. Remember the Golden Rule always. Maybe you could create even better characters. I am thinking you can! An attorney might be a good idea, yes. They are expensive but in this case worth it. They range from $250-$750 per hour for Intellectual Property attorneys but sometimes law professors can help you. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say!
Thanks Angela!