Legal Question in Entertainment Law in United Kingdom

Do my projects infringe copyright?

I have written humourous retellings of Dracula and A Christmas Carol, similar in vein to those written by Spike Milligan in the 1990's which were humourous retellings of Frankenstein and Treasure Island to mention but two. Am i infringing copywrite by doing these and how, like Spike, can i get around it?


Asked on 6/25/07, 8:15 am

2 Answers from Attorneys
Steven Mark Steven Paul Mark, Attorney at Law

Re: Do my projects infringe copyright?

I agree with Richard Howard and would add that you are best served by reading the original novels. In addition to insulating yourself from other versions adapted by Hollywood or the BBC you'll be treated to some great writing. Be especially careful of A Christmas Carol which seems to generate a lot more versions than the number of ghosts depicted in the original.

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Answered on 6/25/07, 7:15 pm
Richard Howard Richard Howard & CO

Re: Do my projects infringe copyright?

If you are basing your work on A Charles Dickens/Bram Stoker edition( rather than a later abridgement) they are both out of copyright ie they died more than 70 yeras ago so you don't need to worry about infringing copyright.

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Answered on 6/25/07, 8:37 am


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