Help!! (please) :-)

[ferociouskittycat]

I have a serious question (gasp) (!)

I want to write a humour/satire story based on actual facts.

I will be quoting from messages sent to me, and retelling real comments made.

It's called 'Liar, liar pants on fire'. The lies I was told will basically be the focus of the story.

Does anyone know if I have to change names or 'facts' even though it will be done as a comedy?

I don't want to change names or facts, because I want to do this as a warning to others of what a lying fucking twisted bastard this person is. His lies make a good story though

 

[Svenskaflicka]

I'd get the person's permission to use his name if I were you - law suits are not very becoming.

OR do what I do - keep the initials, but change the name to something similar-sounding, for instance Carol Bardshawl for Carrie Bradshaw, or something like that.

 

[Guest]

You have three identities and you're going on a story rant about lying?

 

[ferociouskittycat]

thanks. I've pm'd Laurel asking her.

I'm not going to change the name much. He's a reg on here so I want to warn others.

As for my ID's it's hardly lying when my sig line is identical and I refer to the other in my location

you're welcome.

 

[Omni]

This is number 4 of the Forum Guidelines:

4. You may not post personal information of other members or, for that matter, anyone else. We do not allow phone numbers, email addresses, private messages or quotes from private emails to be posted on the forum. This rule also covers real names, employment info, and any other personal information that we deem inappropriate.



Also, anything written by anyone is automatically legally considered copyrighted to the originator, and this would apply to any story you consider writing with content other than your own.

 

[R. Richard]

You have to be a little careful with the satire thing.

Satire is a protected form of expression. However, you are not protected if you deliberately try to hurt/defame someone. Some years back Mad magazine did a satire on Frank Sinatra, protraying him as the rat-pack, boozer that Sinatra had adopted for his public personna. Of course, the satire went even further than Sinatra's personna. The judge ruled that it was OK, because it was an image that Sinatra was using. However, there have been other decisions that limit the range of satire. For instance, if Sinatra had been portrayed as a heroin addict, that would not be protected expression.

The key here is to write a satire that uses the person's public personna with some comedic exaggeration. If yu get to the point of creating a new public personna fopr the person, you are on very shaky ground.

Just my opinion here. I not a lawyer.