I'm writing a novel, and thought getting my characters to play a well-known board game would be a good way for me to get them to 'talk' to me. I liked the chapter so much I want to include in in the final novel. Would I need to get their copyright, and would they be likely to give it me? Hope someone has some ideas.
Hi, Gordon,
You don't need permission to use a trade name - like a car model, or a bottle of wine, so mentioning the name of a game should be okay. However, if the game comes with an instruction booklet, there may be caveats in there that you should note.
I'm no legal expert, but I suppose it depends on how you use it. If you have people sitting playing Trivial Pursuit, for example, and you quote actual questions, then you may need permission for that, as you would be using them in a device (in this case a book) designed to make a profit for you.
The problem comes if the game is a major part of the plot, which means that you're building part of your work on theirs.
If in doubt, ask. They may well see it as extra publicity and have no problem, so long as there is nothing offensive about the book.
Hope this helps.
Lorraine