Knightskye

If I want to have one of my characters use a Dell laptop, clean something on the floor with some Lysol, or take some Breyer's Ice-Cream out of the freezer, is that okay to do? Should I do it sparingly? Do I have to italicize it if I use them?

Thank you.

MichelleWritesStuff

You can use brand names, but you usually want to avoid insulting the company. No italics.

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Michelle
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DabigJimdogg0

Sure it's okay, but I wouldn't make it a habit. You don't want to sound like a commercial, you know? "I bent down picked up my pet bought straight from Petco the world leader in pets!" Alot of writers like Stephen King use it so every day people can relate to their work and I think it's a good idea. However, sometimes if you think you're writing something great, something that you think will be around for ages, then you might not want to bring up products that might be gone in a decade like Spongebob Squarepants or Dell.

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mwd

Out of curiosity, is Don Quixote a weaker novel because of its references to chivalric literature that no one reads any more? Trying to avoid grounding your story in a specific time and place has its uses (especially if you are writing speculative fiction), but giving books greater staying power doesn't seem to me to be one of them.

Besides, who can assume that people will be reading a particular novel in two hundred years? Doesn't it seem presumptuous to "tailor" your writing to be "timeless"?

quarterscot

Why on earth would you want to avoid insulting them? Some companies make dreadful products. Some companies are pretty evil. If you think that, say so.

In general, I agree that brand names should be used sparingly. They can help locate the story more firmly in the setting. Sometimes avoiding them can seem artificial and awkward. Go too far, though, and you can create the impression that both writer and characters are so superficial that they only care about designer labels. And yes, I am thinking about the Bridget Jones novels here.

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Andrew
http://whyisthishere.co.uk

Kinniku Mantaro

"Why on earth would you want to avoid insulting them? Some companies make dreadful products. Some companies are pretty evil. If you think that, say so."

If you say so won't you then have the possibility of being sued? I think that is why most writers would avoid insulting them.

Sparx

You should only use brand names in your story if it is significant or hints at something to the reader. For example in my own novel im writing, i use car brand names but i use them because the car plays a certain role in the book and rather than continously describing it, i can refer to the car by its brand name.

If you could just call the laptop, a laptop then the brand name isn't really nessacary is it. It would seem like a gimmick and a distraction to the reader.

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Knightskye

Thanks for the replies, guys. I'll use the brand names for the important parts.

What's the first amendment good for, then?

mwd

It also depends on how you're insulting them...

"Toyota makes cars that explode." <- Probably not a good idea.

"Toyota sucks." <- Not really lawsuit material.

bob rulz

Keep in mind that half the companies you talk about probably aren't going to be American companies anyway.

But also since when did laws apply to giant corporations anyway?

bob rulz

I agree to an extent. There's really no point in mentioning the brand of laptop unless there's some sort of importance to it. There aren't really different "types" of laptops. But what about with, say, soda? There's a huge difference between Coca-Cola and Pepsi for example. Just saying soda doesn't cut it for me if you're writing a story in the real world and going to great lengths to make it believable and actually seem like it's actually taking place in the modern world.

Kinniku Mantaro

Originally Posted by Knightskye
What's the first amendment good for, then?

I really don't know. I'm not American.
I assume you're referring to the right to free speech? Well here I don't think we have that right to the same extent that perhaps you do, so maybe you wouldn't get sued for insulting a company, if anyone knows the rules on this for deffinate I'd be very interested to hear what is acceptable when using brand names and what isn't.

olrayt

If the brand moves the story forward, then menton the brand. Though I think I'd avoid using brands, especially if the product could become obsolete in a few years, like in one Dean Koontz book, where a character used a whopping ten GB hard drive.

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olrayt

Knightskye

So long as I don't live in those countries who own that company, I'm fine - or, at least, should be.

Ahh, that makes sense, mwd. Thank you. So I could say like, "I know this car company that makes exploding cars," I just shouldn't say a specific company. Hmm. How you feel - good, slander - bad. Gotcha.

quarterscot

Have there been any cases of a writer being sued for allegedly libelling a company in a novel? This is genuine curiosity, incidentally, not just me being sarky.

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Andrew
http://whyisthishere.co.uk