hey everyone! I really need your input here! I have a comic that uses a lot of pop culture as jokes in the comic. You see people do it all the time. People like Opus the penguin in Bloom County use popular culture references and even famous names all the time. Also pvp and Penny Arcade make use of brand names and products to poke fun. My editor says that there is a real legal problem with this and wants me to change the names. In my comic I poke fun and make reference to things like facebook, Zumba classes and Twilght. Please please give me your thoughts. (i also attached some examples)http://http://www.aydellon.com/2010/10/07/title-48/
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hmmm, My comic is a cartoonish fantasy adventure tale, and it lampoons pop culture. In one panel i have gumby in the background and in another a smurf. Did you ever read those mad mags where a well known cartoon character would just pop up at an appropriate time? It was funny and relevant to the gag. I wonder if mad ever got in trouble? well thanks for the input!
Hi Leo, I tried to find a definitive answer to this. This link will take you to the U.S. Copyright Law's article, but be warned, they admit the line between 'fair use' and 'infringement' is sometimes unclear...
http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html
Wish I could've helped, good luck with your comic!
http://www.aydellon.com/2010/10/07/title-48/
here is the link to the page, it should work.