I need a title and premise for a funny movie my characters will be watching. It has to be made-up, because I’m not doing any real-world references. I don’t have to use Halvsie, but I’d really like to. Is he anyone’s intellectual property, or am I free to use him?
bump
Is this what you are referring to? I’d say it’s intellectual property since there is a “Halvsie” store on the page I just linked…
Okay; thank you.
Are you just talking about just using the word Halvsie, and not the content of that site? Nobody can copyright a title. You could make up a funny movie about twisters and call it Gone With the Wind if you wanted to. If you’re talking about content, though, that’s another story.
I don’t know the answer to the OP.
Now I’m not certain if I’m correct. Please look at the link to let me know if I found the right thing or not? It differs from a suggestion made in the Pit thread connected to this topic. If not, my apologies. I hope you do get an answer. 
I don’t know.
I don’t know either.
I don’t think that dog’s all there.
As a general rule, problems will be avoided if you use a name for a movie that is not being currently used in conjunction with another movie, video, or program.
That said, you shouldn’t have a problem with this if you are only using the word as the title of a fictional movie that made-up characters in a book/story are watching.
Though I am an intellectual property attorney, I am not your intellectual property attorney and this post is an off the cuff personal opinion and not a legal opinion. When you get your story done, run it by an intellectual property attorney the make sure that you minimize* any possible liability.
CJ
- I used the term minimize because no matter what you do, there always might be some lunatic that things s/he owns all rights to word. Not much you can do about the lunatics, except possible shoot them I suppose and that’s usually frowned upon.
I for one could watch a dog spinning around on the ground like Curly for an hour and a half.
I don’t know, too.
I like “Halvah” better.
I also don’t know.
I also don’t know, too.
Either.
What was the question again?
S
Well, thanks anyway.
Ya know, really, you still haven’t said what “Halvsie” it is! Maybe I should put this in that other thread, I don’t know, but is it the Halvsie in the link or is it the two legged dog??? This is killing me now!