Are some elements copyright?

Question

I wanted to use some elements.I wanted to know if it's ok to use things like ' Nicotine' in a strory or is it copyrighted by the ciggarette company? what about the main ingredients in sleeping drugs and such?

Answer 1

Words cannot be copyrighted. They can be trademarked. They can be brand names, but depending on the way you use them, it is fine. You can always run it by an attorney who specializes in literary law. Today, so many brand names have come to mean generalized things. We call the stuff on the kitchen counter "Formica" when in fact that is a brand name of High Pressure Laminate. It could be about 10 other companies. We call cola "Coke". We refer to recliner chairs as Lazy Boys. So many brand names have become part of our every day vocabulary that it is very hard to sort out anymore. It depends a lot on the usage. I do not, however, believe nicotine is a product name. Nor is it an element. It is just a substance. I cannot imagine cigarette companies wanting to trademark the name of the substance in tobacco that kills people. I would go ahead and write it. Believe me, if you get to the point of publishing, your publisher is going to have their legal dept. go over it with a fine toothed comb. Anything questionable will be edited out. And at that point, you will have no say in the editing process because you are under contract.
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They're, Their, There - Three Different Words.

Careful or you may wind up in my next novel.

Pax - C