Copyright Laws?

Question

I have watched a movie (not released internationally but only regionally and not in America). I liked its basic idea. Can i write a book using that idea but with different characters and story or will i be subject to violating any laws?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Copyright law does not protect ideas -- only expressions of those ideas. The problem comes in attempting to separate the idea from the expression, in the effort to avoid the smell of infringement. You're a lot safer using ideas based upon non-fiction "facts" than if you were to use more creative works of fiction.

Answer 2

That depends on how closely you follow the original.
You could say there is only one romance story - boy meets girl, boy and girl have problems, boy and girl work it out and live happily ever after.
That fits about 90% of 'romance' stories. So if you write a story on that theme, you aren't violating anyone's copyright.
However, if you take Gone With The Wind and simply change the characters' names from Rhett and Scarlett to Shan and WIng Ho, and set the story in China instead of the Southern US, you would be violating copyright.
Sometimes there is a pretty fine line between similar works and pirated works.
Why not let the idea of that other movie spur you on to something that is unique and quite different?

Answer 3

A story written based on a movie with different characters is a different work and it is not a violation of the Copyright Law.

Answer 4

"It depends."

The more vague the material you copy, the better. For example, you'd be more likely to be prosecuted for Dorothy and Toto than for Martha and Spot. And if Spot was a cat, so much the better. And if they were from New Hampshire, better still.

Or if you had a little boy get carried away on a tidal wave to the island of Xoso with his cat Spot.