can i name my film's characters after real celebrities?

[Nikki Malkavian Z-boy]

so as you probably already know, i'm trying to develop a universe and currently struggling to write the script. my universe will have some elements from the early days of my favorite rock band, Iron Maiden. i want my main characters to be named after the band's members. for example, "inspector Steve Harris". can i do it or they will sue me?

 

[ItDonnedOnMe]

You're probably fine using their names as long as the characters themselves aren't representations of the real people. So if you had a fictional band in your script named "Steel Lady" and the members were all named after the members of Iron Maiden it would be hard to argue that they didn't actually represent the real people. But if you have a police inspector with the same name as a member of the band it's just a name, not a representation of the real person.

 

[WhiteOpus]

IDOM said it all. I once had a male detective character named Drew Berrimoore

 

[sfoster]

 

[Nikki Malkavian Z-boy]

lolz sfoster. xD

thank you for the info fellas! one love.

 

[Aspiring Mogul]

You should get an opinion from your local intellectual-property lawyer, because we're mostly North Americans, and our laws can be different from the laws of the European Union.

 

[Nikki Malkavian Z-boy]

You should get an opinion from your local intellectual-property lawyer, because we're mostly North Americans, and our laws can be different from the laws of the European Union.

cool, i will check it. thx mate.

 

[mad_hatter]

...my universe will have some elements from the early days of my favorite rock band, Iron Maiden.

What do you actually mean by this?

I'd say Steve Harris is fine. It's not recognisable at all. I even know an Adrian Smith. However, Bruce Dickinson and Nicko McBrain are pretty unique names. They'd easily be linked to the members of Iron Maiden. Still, a name is a name. No reason your characters can't share those names.

I would question though... Why do you want to use these names?

 

[mus]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_America:_World_Police#Cast

 

[mrpink89]

tim an erick style. "John Dep"

 

[Nikki Malkavian Z-boy]

What do you actually mean by this?

I'd say Steve Harris is fine. It's not recognisable at all. I even know an Adrian Smith. However, Bruce Dickinson and Nicko McBrain are pretty unique names. They'd easily be linked to the members of Iron Maiden. Still, a name is a name. No reason your characters can't share those names.

I would question though... Why do you want to use these names?

yes, you are right about the "Bruce Dickinson" and "Nicko McBrain" thing, they are way too obvious names. maybe i won't use them, maybe i will find other names.

in my universe's city there will be gangs in each suburb and a creature with a dark face like the band's mascot, Eddie. i want that "sin city" futuristic/vintage feeling. i just love that band and i wanna do something that is inspired by them. i'm sending you a pic which PERFECTLY describes one of my universe's many sides.

http://postimg.org/image/qg3nf1g5b/