Can I briefly use Spiderman and the Hulk as characters in a story?

Question

I'm writing a children's story. There is a tiny scene where the hero of the story finds Spiderman fighting with the Hulk. They have a brief 5-line conversation then disappear from the story. Would that be allowable under copyright law? If not, would there be any point contacting Marvel to seek permission?

likepepsi · Accepted Answer

Since both characters and their names are copyrighted, you technically cannot use them without permission - especially in a book you intend to have published. Your editor would catch that immediately. What would it hurt to seek permission from Marvel? They may want to see the whole book first, just to understand the entire context of how you are using their copyrighted property.

If you say that your character walked past a Spiderman poster, you probably don't need permission for that. But you're using the characters in your story, even though it's very briefly.

Best to ask your book editor for guidance, they are the professionals and can give you a definitive answer.

Anonym · Answer

If it is just in text (you are not using their copyrighted images) and this brief, this is not a violation of copyright.

lalit · Answer

I do not think that by using their names you would be violating any copy right norms. So go ahead and use it!

Can I briefly use Spiderman and the Hulk as characters in a story?

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