About copyright?

Question

Ok i am thinking about writing a book that has a Dragon in it as one of the main charecters but there is a problem. His name is Airock (yeah its my name here to) but i kinda got the name from an old pc game Draykon or something close to that. How ever. The dragons in draykon was a brown scaly dragon and his name is spelt Arohk or close to that and is pronounced Air-ock. Now mine is a furry light blue dragon and its name is spelled Airock but is pronounced the same way... IS that going to be copy right infringment? Sorry for bad spelling!

Were should i go for legel advise then. They are very simaler yet still different. They arnt really the same dragon and its spelled differently to. The only real simerality is the pronounciation... My country is usa.

Answer 1

It's not necessarily the copyright laws you must conform to, but the awareness of plagiarism. Taking a character and its name from another author's work is something to avoid at risk of lawsuit.

Your manuscript is automatically copyrighted once you have printed it on paper. It isn't necessary to send it to the Library of Congress for copyright protection and certification until it has been accepted for publication.

With the desire to write a book about any topic your first quest is to learn how to spell correctly and avoid trite expressions such as starting out a sentence with the word 'ok.'

Being a writer should be a full-time pastime, even here on this forum. Practice good writing habits in every endeavor and any book or short story you write will show evidence.

A writer must have a thick skin for criticism; otherwise you'll never get past the errors that need to be corrected in your manuscript. If you are up to the challenge then go for it.

I recommend constant editing of the manuscript on your part as you proceed in its writing and then have a disinterested literary person proofread it for additional grammar, spelling, and flow.

Further, I recommend you get the handbook titled, "The Elements of Style" written by Strunk and Williams. It's a handy reference book that needs to be near your keyboard.

Answer 2

You might want to check out this website - it does a great job of explaining some of the common myths and misperceptions about copyright.

http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html

Especially take a look at "Myth No. 6" - that if I make up my own stories it isn't a copyright violation - because, in fact, it could be. It's a very gray area. It might be considered a "derivative work" in which case it would violate the copyright and put your book in danger. It is easier to make a new name for your character.

Answer 3

It would be so much easier for you to change the name of the Dragon.

There is too much of a similarity between the two names and them both being dragons. I wouldn't risk it.


http://www.freewebs.com/froget

Answer 4

Hmmm...it's possible. The two names are very similar, and especially if you are spelling it the way it was originally pronounced. I would be wary of it. You should seek legal advice.

Answer 5

You should check the copyright sections for your country.