safari invasion

Is there anyway to use the names of specific products, such as the name of a car, or something along those lines. For example, if I wanted to say that a character got into his Ford Bronco or put on a pair of Nikes or something like that, is there any way I could do that?
I would imagine that the copyright police would be all over it, but I remember reading in one of James Patterson's books that he mentioned one of the characters drove a Jaguar and his main character, Alex Cross, is known for driving a Porsche.

DL Ferguson

Unless you're going to make up names for everything in your story, from cars to footwear to clothes to the names of restaurants then I'd have to say that you've got little choice but to just go ahead and use product names. If The Copyright Police come after you then they'll have to come after Ian Fleming, David Morrell, Robert B. Parker, Clive Cussler, William Diehl, William Goldman....I could go on with this list all day long but I think you get the idea.

Also, it helps the reader get the feeling that your story is taking place in a world grounded in reality. The reader gets a better image when you say: "Jake climbed into his beat-up Ford Bronco" instead of "Jake climbed into his beat-up pickup truck" The first sentence invokes a clear and vivid image in the reader's mind which is what you want to happen.

As far as how much to use product names and where, well....like so much else in writing, go with your gut. if if doesn't feel right to you then take it out. If it sits right with your gut, leave it in.

Ozmandius

If you're worried about copyright infringement, then don't. It's a perfectly legal use of the name brand.

Oz