David Brush
asked
Neil Clarke:
This is a question I haven't been able to get a clear answer on, and I figured that you of all people, having edited Upgraded, might be able to shed some light on this. The word 'droid' is trademarked by Lucasfilm. Is it therefore likely that an author who uses that word liberally in their own work would be sued? I'm wondering what consequences one might expect for something like that.
Neil Clarke
This treads into the area of legal advice and for that you really need to seek out an intellectual property attorney.
Yes, Lucasfilm (and now parent-company Disney) own the the trademark for Droid. They have some obligation to defend that trademark if they expect to keep it, and it's worth a significant sum of money to them. (Disney is well-known for being aggressive in its defense of its intellectual property.) They could take legal action against you.
If you still want to move ahead with the project, it would be worth (you or your publisher, if not you) seeking out an attorney before publication. They can provide full details on the potential risk and consequences you'll face.
Yes, Lucasfilm (and now parent-company Disney) own the the trademark for Droid. They have some obligation to defend that trademark if they expect to keep it, and it's worth a significant sum of money to them. (Disney is well-known for being aggressive in its defense of its intellectual property.) They could take legal action against you.
If you still want to move ahead with the project, it would be worth (you or your publisher, if not you) seeking out an attorney before publication. They can provide full details on the potential risk and consequences you'll face.
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