I can't seem to find the answer to this. What if a character uses a phrase, witticism, etc. that I did not create?
Chuck Thompson
6 Rs, 5 HMs, 2 SHMs
For example, what if my character says "may the force be with you" or a jokey spinoff like "may the force be with you too jerk."
Chuck Thompson
6 Rs, 5 HMs, 2 SHMs
That sort of thing should be fine, so long as you don't go overboard.
If you are in difficulties with a book, try the element of surprise: attack it at an hour when it isn't expecting it. ~ H.G. Wells
If a person offend you, and you are in doubt as to whether it was intentional or not, do not resort to extreme measures; simply watch your chance and hit him with a brick. ~ Mark Twain
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Since my first post, I found a few things that indicate it is fine, particularly where it is clear the character isn't passing it off as his own saying.
Chuck Thompson
6 Rs, 5 HMs, 2 SHMs
The uses of other creators' intellectual property may be limited to brief incidental content, allusive, that is, for other review, education, and criticism purposes otherwise. Uses for parody, lampoon, and social commentary are broad exceptions to intellectual property infringement limitations.
"May the force be with you." Might fall shy of exception criteria.
"May the force be with you, too, jerk." Meets the exception criteria.
If a harsh response to another social pleasantry, say, May you go with grace, or Have a nice day, each dismissive, the second above would be all the more exceptional, potent, appeal, and for social commentary purposes.
my protagonist, who is a story-teller, recently re-told a story by the Brothers Grimm. it was largely paraphrased, and also obviously wasn't in the original German.
i, the author, clearly stated that it wasn't his story but rather one that he was familiar with, but my protagonist passed it off as his own 😀 i guess that means that my fictional character is guilty of plagiarism, but hopefully i am not? 😀
my protagonist, who is a story-teller, recently re-told a story by the Brothers Grimm. it was largely paraphrased, and also obviously wasn't in the original German.
i, the author, clearly stated that it wasn't his story but rather one that he was familiar with, but my protagonist passed it off as his own 😀 i guess that means that my fictional character is guilty of plagiarism, but hopefully i am not? 😀
Grimms' content is public domain property. Still intellectual property, not their property, actually, either. The several Grimm texts' sources are oral folklore traditions collected from folk informants' folktale collections.
A professional creative writer practice would acknowledge a secondhand, or thirdhand, really, Grimm source within a story's text. Oh, what the hay now, that's Grimm, you know, the Old Grandpa and the Grandson tale. Thought about or said aloud for inline response to the character who plagiarizes the tale, who, if confronted, might would go off in the head. Might as well be all ironic and dramatic about source attribution, too, right?
