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+--- Thread: Is it possible to write a story consisting entirely of trademarks? (Typed using only your middle fingers?)? (/thread-55480.html)
Is it possible to write a story consisting entirely of trademarks? (Typed using only your middle fingers?)? - chorle - 01-18-2013 08:54 AM
Would it be legal to publish it? (Yes it was asked by Charlie Stross on twitter)
- SmartAZ - 01-18-2013 09:02 AM
Oh, maybe, I guess. I once read a story using only beer brand names, but it was awfully smutty.
- Closed - 01-18-2013 09:02 AM
Only if you can prove that you didn't cheat and type it with your forefinger.
- cathrl69 - 01-18-2013 09:02 AM
I can't see why not. After all, there are loads of published stories out there which use the term "intel" (having read Stross's work, I'd be very surprised if his aren't among them) and that's certainly a trademark.
I'm obviously a boring not with it person since I have no idea what the significance of middle finger typing is.
- Blues Einhander - 01-18-2013 09:02 AM
It actually depends on the use. A trademark is a word, phrase, logo or other symbol, used to identify a product, the source of a product and the manufacturer or merchant. A trademark is usually used to distinguish one product and its manufacturer from another.
Because trademarks are just symbols that represent a company, creating a book of these trademarks would per se be legal. That's because the only time infringement would occur is if a trademark is used to either market a similar good as the trademark's original purpose or trademark dilution occurs. Trademark dilution occurs when someone uses a well-established trademark for a different service, but either tarnishes the trademark's good name through the use or weakens the consumer's association between the trademark and the services.
The latter situation would be more apt to a book's liability. So if you made a book full of trademarks and specifically used those trademarks to tarnish the reputation of the trademark's owner with your book, then that would be infringement and it would be illegal to publish a book full of trademarks.
- Verity - 01-18-2013 09:02 AM
In that Bulwer-Lytton wrote an entire novel ("Gadsby") without the use of the letter "e",
it's possible. How good it sould be is another matter.
- Fred XX00 I - 01-18-2013 09:02 AM
Yes I used it once just now, yes it looks like it is possible to do that for a short time because the finger only works for so many hours and then we have to change fingers like the show the SAW! the only use two fingers to dig.