Harry Potter Parody: Avoiding Slander, Libel, and Copyright Infringement Lawsuits

A

amfx22000

In summary, I am currently working on a parody of J.K. Rowling's hit book series (in movie form) Harry Potter. I want to call him "Harry Potsmoker", but will probably get sued blind.

I need information on how to avoid lawsuits and how to make a legal parody.

Many thanks!

-amfx22000
 
Ask a real lawyer. Preferably one holding a bar card from your state. Not trying to sound negative or sarcastic, it's just that if you're asking for legal advice, you NEED to ask a lawyer. JMHO though.
 
IANAL (I am not a lawyer), but I know that a straight parody in the US is legal. However, since JKR lives in England, there's nothing stopping her from suing the hell out of you there.

Agreed, ask a lawyer. Is it really worth getting sued over?
 
mrde50 said:
IANAL (I am not a lawyer), but I know that a straight parody in the US is legal. However, since JKR lives in England, there's nothing stopping her from suing the hell out of you there.

Agreed, ask a lawyer. Is it really worth getting sued over?
Click to expand...

Hmm.... So could she sue me overseas (probably)?

P.S. Yes, it's worth it.
 
Refuse to take sound advice at your own peril. I'll leave you with this final thought, even if she doesn't sue you because she'll never find out you made it, what happens later in life when this pops up and tarnishes your reputation? Do what you gotta do.
 
For the record,

I'm not a lawyer either but a parody is usually 100% legal. Heck, it's done all the time with hollywood stars and politicians without suit. So long as you don't try to pass your work off as "something Mr. Blah really did" you should be perfectly fine. Libel and Slander only come into play when you start telling false things about other people and try to pass them off as true.
 
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