What does copyright law state about using sports teams’ names?
As in, if I were writing a work of fiction that featured an NBA game, would it be legal to use the names of the teams (not actual players) and terms relative to the league (i.e., “NBA Finals,” etc.)?
- Ray AP19
Tags: Copyright Law, Nba Finals, Nba Game, Sports Teams, State Names
April 11th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
You’ll need legal permission of the NBA in order to use the team names, and also the permission of the actual teams. Especially if this work of fiction is to be published it would have to have the consent of the NBA. Also some items such as NBA Finals are coyprighted also as they are specific to the NBA and thus can be copyrighted.
April 12th, 2009 at 7:29 am
you tell me would you want someone copying you
April 15th, 2009 at 2:40 am
ask yourself, why is using the words NBA important to your story. it sounds as if you have a really weak plot, and trying to bolster your story by associating it with a big recognizable organization. NBA teams move often enough that no would really care if you used a ‘ficticious’ name, in fact readers might like the puzzle of trying to figure out who was really being ratted on. if the big game is important, it could be called just “The Finals” which is in some ways more dramatic than “NBA Finals”. You can write plenty about big time basketball without slandering real people, teams or organizations.