# Does anybody own "Halvsie"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2005, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998 "2005-01-04T06:00:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/1 "2005-01-04T06:00:29Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/2 "2005-01-06T01:18:19Z")
bump ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/3 "2005-01-10T14:14:00Z")
[Is this](http://blog.halvsie.com/) what you are referring to? I’d say it’s intellectual property since there is a “Halvsie” store on the page I just linked… ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/4 "2005-01-10T14:14:41Z")
Okay; thank you. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/5 "2005-01-10T15:15:26Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/6 "2005-01-10T15:31:48Z")
I don’t know the answer to the OP. ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/7 "2005-01-10T15:34:28Z")
Have you tried [here?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5701492#post5701492) ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/8 "2005-01-10T15:35:27Z")
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. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/9 "2005-01-10T16:04:58Z")
I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/10 "2005-01-10T16:35:57Z")
I don’t know either. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/11 "2005-01-10T17:46:06Z")
I don’t think that dog’s all there. ---
**Author:** ![cj\_finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@cj\_finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cj_finn)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/12 "2005-01-10T18:27:45Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/13 "2005-01-10T18:34:09Z")
I for one could watch a dog spinning around on the ground like Curly for an hour and a half. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/14 "2005-01-10T18:35:48Z")
I don’t know, too. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/15 "2005-01-10T18:43:04Z")
I like “Halvah” better. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/16 "2005-01-10T20:22:35Z")
I also don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/17 "2005-01-10T22:19:44Z")
I also don’t know, too. Either. ---
**Author:** ![sinical\_brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/48db29/32.png) [@sinical\_brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinical_brit)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/18 "2005-01-10T22:25:21Z")
What was the question again? S ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/19 "2005-01-10T22:36:10Z")
Well, thanks anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998/20 "2005-01-11T00:17:31Z")
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! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-own-halvsie/282998.md?page=2)