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Does anyone know If a writer wants to use as his character in a fiction the name Doctor Sigmund Freud is?
his name copyrighted.
I am creating a story about Jack the Ripper were Scotland Yard. A chief inspector named Thomas Bedford and Sargent
Mc Donald inlist the help of a mental health Doctor named
Sigmund Freud from the university of vienna. What I am trying
to find out if I can use Sigmund Freuds name and services in
my story line without running into law sues. If I tell you my two created characters get Freuds help to catch Jack The Ripper.
Story line
by
Joseph F Mazzaferro
3 Answers
- 1 decade agoFavorite Answer
You may use Freud as a character, however that story has already been done. I don't recall the name, but I have read a story where Freud tries to catch the Ripper. Pax- C
- Anonymous1 decade ago
A person's name cannot be copyrighted. It can in some cases be trademarked, but that usually applies to merchandise (like sports jerseys) rather than the use of a person's name in print.
A copyright only applies to artistic or intellectual work. Freud's writings or photos of Freud could still be under copyright, but not the man himself or his name. If you want to quote from Freud's writings note that anything Freud published before 1923 is now in the public domain, but that applies only to the original text. A more recent English translation could be under the copyright of the translator.
If Freud were still alive, you might have to worry about possible libel or invasion of privacy charges if you used him in a fictional story. But public figures are considered to have less of a right to privacy than regular people, and dead people are not considered to have any right to privacy at all. So you can write just about anything you want about Freud. He's been used as a character in other works of fiction, like "The Seven Percent Solution" where he psychoanalyzes Sherlock Holmes.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
You can, but it's been done before.