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'any similarity to persons living or dead is a coincidence etc, etc'
How do you ensure that the characters you invent and the company names do not inadvertently allude to real entities? A certain amount can be checked by Googling and other research but can anyone advise the best way to be sure? For example, I have to refer to a legal practice in my book. Let's say I've called them 'Grabbit, Bill and Gredie Limited' Family Solicitors. What's the best way to ensure that there isn't really a firm called this and that I am not libelling them? Incidentally if there is a firm called by that name then any reference is entirely coincidental and does not in anway infer any reference to them....well you know what I'm saying. How do you all handle it?
Comments
You can't avoid using names of real people.
You can google that name and use something relevent to the profession you've given them to pin down any possible living people if tou are very concerned...
Also, it's very easy to pick a name you think has come from your imagination, when in fact it's one you've heard and half-remembered from somewhere.
There are many books out there which are a single name title, Rebecca comes to mind for a start. The whole point is this libellous bit. Seriously, if you check on google and nothing comes up that resembles the name you have chosen, whether for business or individual and you are sure that nothing you write is libellous, scandalous or anything, it's fine.
Now me, I am writing of people who still have family/friends etc living, so some of my books must go past the lawyers first, the Duchess of Windsor is one. That's a whole different ball game to a work of pure fiction.
Titles are not copyright- though you'd have trouble if you used Harry Potter in the title...;)