Des Esseintes's picture
Des Esseintes February 8, 2016 - 10:08am

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 8, 2016 - 10:25am

Satire is legal. Or lampooning. So long as the fictional character cannot in any way be based on reality, but purely in a manner humor, even in bad taste, the story is fine.

The People vs Larry Flynt is the precedent.

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 8, 2016 - 1:12pm

Ironically, or not, the Westboro Baptist Church also uses The People vs Larry Flynt to allow them to spew their non-sense.

Thuggish's picture
Thuggish from Vegas is reading Day of the Jackal February 8, 2016 - 4:57pm

^ perhaps ironic, definitely funny.

Nick's picture
Nick from Toronto is reading Adjustment Day February 8, 2016 - 6:40pm

I think someone on this site published a story about a famous actor buying a diamond that was smuggled in the ass of a kid adopted by another famous actor.

Jack Campbell Jr.'s picture
Jack Campbell Jr. from Lawrence, KS is reading American Rust by Phillipp Meyer February 8, 2016 - 8:31pm

Satire is a fair use defense, but it doesn't mean that you won't get sued over it.

Scarlett Johansson won a case against a French author for using a character based on her. Mick Garris uses a ton of celebrities in Development Hell. Sometimes, I wonder how he got away with it. Palahniuk dropped names left and right in Tell-All, but he definitely writes satire.

It's never safe, by any means. Likenesses on covers makes it even worse. With the Gronk erotica or the Trump stuff, if they wanted, they could sue the holy hell out of the writers. They may lose, but the defendent would spend so much time and money in court that it wouldn't feel like much of a victory.

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 8, 2016 - 8:44pm

I guess this is where the saying, "Fuck'em if they can't take a joke," applies.

Brandon's picture
Brandon from KCMO is reading Made to Break February 9, 2016 - 8:05am

I think someone on this site published a story about a famous actor buying a diamond that was smuggled in the ass of a kid adopted by another famous actor.

That one's mine.

Thuggish's picture
Thuggish from Vegas is reading Day of the Jackal February 9, 2016 - 9:48am

^ Are you sure it was fiction? (Explains so much...)

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated February 10, 2016 - 3:56am

Varies by nation/location.