Re: Cameo Roles (Was: Lolita's copyright)

Robert Honan <robertus[_at_]harbornet.com> wrote:
>
> How about a hypothetical with a slightly different set of facts. Let's
> say that I write a novel about a group of travelors stuck on a train
> somewhere. To pass the time, the passengers share some important
> background story about themselves. And amongst the many tails related
> is Nabokov's Loliata telling the story from her perspective. And for
> this hypo. let's say that her story amounted to a cameo appearence in
> the book, say ~20 pages out of a 400 page novel, and only one of eight
> or ten stories told.
>
> Next step, still clearly Nabokov's Lolita from the story, but we change
> the charactor's name. Foul?

Still a derivative work based on characters and plot protected by copyright, and still requires permission, in my view.

Bob Cumbow
Perkins Coie LLP
cumbr[_at_]perkinscoie.com
206-583-8566 Received on Mon Oct 19 1998 - 15:41:06 GMT