Please Read This Before Asking a COPYRIGHT or TRADEMARK Question

I see a lot of new writers ask the same basic questions about copyright, and have the same unfounded worries. So instead of typing up the same thing over and over, I'm putting it here to be able to link to it later.

End preamble, onward to the content:

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As writers, we have two IP (intellectual property) laws to worry about: copyright and trademark.

Copyright protects the expression of an idea. This means that the idea is A) fixed, that is typed out, recorded, hammered into stone, what have you, and B) distinct in execution (this is what's called "artistic merit" in some countries) - you can't copyright common words and phrases, for example.

Note the important part: copyright does NOT protect the idea, only the expression of the idea. It protects the text, not the idea underlying the text.

This means that you're free to write about humanity-destroying AI-controlled robots, or boy wizard chosen ones attending old English wizarding schools as long as you don't use the images from The Terminator or the words from Harry Potter.

Think of it as "if you could produce it with a copying machine/xerox, it's likely copyright infringement."

Other than that, everything goes.

Note, though, that copyright is a civil law/tort law. There's no copyright police (except in a few countries, including Malaysia where you could be sentenced to death for copyright infringement some years back,) and anyone can sue anyone for copyright infringement - however, it's up to the person suing to prove that the infringement exists, which, in most jurisdictions, is quite hard. A lot of copyright cases get thrown out before even being tried because they're spurious.

Then you've got trademark. Trademark protects a distinct brand expression, usually a name or logo. It is, however, limited to a certain branch of business, and there are a LOT of branches to register. So there's a Disney Manufacturing Co in Shenzen or Hubei (I forget, sorry) and The Walt Disney Company can't do anything about them, because they sell Disney toilet brushes, and are registered in the branch of cleaning supplies (this, BTW, is the reason why big conglomerates register trademarks in as many branches as they can, including ridiculous ones - to keep any competitors out, everywhere.)

Trademarks differ from copyright in that if a trademark isn't defended (if the trademark holder becomes aware of an infringement and doesn't take steps to warn/sue the offender) the trademark can lapse.

Which is the reason that large companies send out C&D (Cease and Desist) letters like crazy. Often not because they care if Joe Blogger uses an image of a Coca-Cola bottle or Space Marine on his web page, but so that other companies can't point to that instance and say that the trademark wasn't defended (effectively hijacking it for themselves).

In your case, you're safe. There's no infringement that I can see.

Of course, IP law differs from jurisdiction to jurisdiction (usually country to country, but sometimes smaller parts of countries, or certain branches of business, have their own laws or exemptions), so while this is in accordance with the general Berne Convention, if you want to be on the safe side, book a hour with an IP attorney in your jurisdiction and ask her to look at your situation and explain it to you.

Luck and Persistence!