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Ccolebrook

With its colorful man-made plants, this place speaks vaguely of a Willy Wonka tourist attraction.

Assuming I don't go farther than that. Is this something I need permission to write in a script?
 
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Ccolebrook said:
With its colorful man-made plants, this place speaks vaguely of a Willy Wonka tourist attraction.

Assuming I don't go farther than that. Is this something I need permission to write in a script?
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Outside of the metaphorical implausibility of plants speaking, which is another issue, I wouldn't think it would be a problem. Willy Wonka is a cultural icon, after all.
 
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Put anything you want in a script unless you intend to publish it. If it's not a published work, copyright/trademark infringement is a non-issue (as long as you're not plagiarizing). When the movie is actually made, inclusion of such things does become an issue, but that's not the screenwriter's problem (unless s/he's also the producer).
 
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Having a character in a script say a name out loud isn’t copyright
or trademark infringement, Writing the name “Willy Wonka” in the
action line isn’t copyright or trademark infringement.
 
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According to the US Copyright web site, a name or short phrase cannot be copyrighted.

That's why Billy Idol never got sued by DC Comics for his song "WHITE WEDDING" when the song asks over and over "Who is your Superman? It's a nice day for a white wedding."
 
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