I always wonder if these were intentional. (Probably) Also, ever time I hear some one quoting the lyrics “our house is a very very very fine house”, I think to myself, “Are they quoting the song by Crosby, Still, and Nash, or the complely diffrent song by the ska band Madness?”
These may be intentional. They may not be. Tell me, what examples do you have that made you think, “How did they get permission to use that?”, “Nah, couldn’t be”
The Green Goblin in Maximum Overdrive was not only intentional, but if you check the credits, you’ll find that they even got permission from Marvel to use it.
I think Stephen King wanted his Evil to have a face. The Green Goblin truck waas certainly better and more effective than the teeny tiny bulldog on the Mack truck in the same film.
You want “as close to the copyright as possible?” Check out your local costume store. It’s always worthwhile saving a few pennies with artful relabeling. Like the “so close you can touch it” costumer of “Malice de Mal” who’s virtually “Cruella de Vil”. Or the “Death Invader” costumes that are “Darth Vader”.
Look, it is just a convenient term. I started a thread asking about this very subject. I haven’t forgotten.
I suppose I could have called it, “This may be reuse of characters, lyrics, or themes in fiction, or it may not be.”, but that would be a little long for a title. I could have used the term trademark, but would have left out themes and plots.
No, I think you have confused me with someone who cares. I figured that people would understand I was using a specific legal term to mean something quite generic, and would not get their panties in a wad about it. I figured wrong.
Ever see a film and think that the plot was lifted whole-cloth from another movie, so much so that you though it was the other film? Ever watch an episode of Space: Above and Beyond, and think the robot troopers helmets were taken from Cobra Troopers in live action G.I. Joe commercials? Ever hear the same lyric in two unconnected songs and wonder about a possible connection?
When my ex was trying to drag me to see The Matrix, I kept thinking of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave.
Star Trek’s original series was Hornblower in space.
There’s no way to say that that doesn’t sound dirty, is there?
Star Wars was basically a swipe of a japanese film I watched LAST FREAKING NIGHT yet have forgotten the name of because of my incipient dementia and am too lazy to look up.
The last several seasons of Voyager included far too many plots lifted from Next Generation and far too few shots of B’lanna Torres naked.
Sorry, nope. Star Wars isn’t a comic book homage, it’s (mostly) a 1930s Sci-fi serial homage.
Darth Vader is a nod in the direction of The Lightning, the villain of the Republic serial The Fighting Devil Dogs. Rick McCallum made the helmet/mask more samurai-looking to fit the Kurosawa stuff, but The Lightning is the starting point.
After getting frustrated with dealing with copyright issues for song lyrics she quoted in her books, Florence King began making up songs and titles that sounded like the songs she wanted.
