Using name of real institution

by Daphne Milne
24th December 2016

Morning all and Happy Christmas.

I need a well known/important fashion magazine for a story. Is there a problem in naming Vogue or do I need to invent a name and establish its importance in another way?

Thank you

DM

Replies

Thank you both, problem solved. Happy Christmas.

Daphne

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Daphne
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Daphne Milne
25/12/2016

I agree with Richard. If your mention is not derogatory or misleading, it can only please them to get free publicity. If it is - and you MEAN it to be - you need to disguise the name, e.g. Vague or Pogue instead of Vogue. (My friend Emilie van Damm - who ABHORS FB - wrote a story in which she had the narrator rant about Bacefook.) If you don't want to point a finger at any particular mag, but have it behaving badly, best to invent a title that sounds obviously fashion mag but not specific.

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Jimmy Hollis i Dickson
24/12/2016

You are entitled to include real company names in fiction providing you are not likely to damage their reputation by doing so.

It is always wise to include something along these lines in your front matter / disclaimer section.

Products, real people and business mentioned in this work are used in a purely fictitious manner. No judgements or conclusions can be derived from this fictional portrayal.

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