I found a book where the main characters name is my legal name, first and last. My name is not common at all. Is there anything I can do about this?

r/

Additional information: I researched the author and they appear to be a teacher from my high school using an alias first name.

Comments

  1. BrokedBrainGuy Avatar

    Practically I’d reach out to the author and let them know you’re not appreciative of that.

    Unless the character strongly resembles you in other ways, there’s probably no legal action.  (If it does, consult with a lawyer experienced in the field of name, image, likeness, “NIL” matters, it’s not just athletes that have a right to control their NIL.)

  2. brock_lee Avatar

    Milk it if you can. 🙂 My first and last name are the same as the main character in a wildly successful book and movie. (No, not Harry Potter.) To date, rarely anyone brings it up when I mention my name, though. I did meet the author once, but far after they had written the book, so the naming was just coincidence.

    There are some legal remedies you can explore with a lawyer, tho. It’s not as simple as saying “someone can use any name in a fictional work.” There may be reasons they cannot.

  3. No_Clock_6371 Avatar

    Change your name to Max Power

  4. NewRelm Avatar

    Not a lawyer, but I don’t think there’s anything you can do unless the story slanders your name or trades on your fame. Names aren’t unique and we can’t expect exclusive rights to ours.

  5. srocan Avatar

    Check the book to see if there’s a disclaimer stating that the characters are fictional and not based on real people. There usually is to prevent any legal action.

  6. Initial_Advance8326 Avatar

    Tell your parents that your treacher is writing books about you.

  7. cheesyride Avatar

    This is wild! I would reach out to the teacher or depending on your age, have a parent do it

  8. eeemf Avatar

    Why would you need to do anything about this? The book is unlikely to be read by that many people, and even less will connect that book to you. It won’t matter.

  9. Aromatic-Tear7234 Avatar

    Is the book also about unrequited love between a teacher and student? Interesting…

  10. pineapples-42 Avatar

    No. You don’t own your name. It’s not like it’s your personal intellectual property.

  11. Louseeeeeee Avatar

    My legal first and last name is a character in an Alfred Hitchcock book. I’ve got no problem with it.

  12. BroccoliNormal5739 Avatar

    You don’t own the name…

  13. SoberSeahorse Avatar

    Message the author and call ‘em a weirdo. That’s about all you can do.

  14. BestIntentionsAlways Avatar

    Does the character seem to be based on you, besides the name? If not, I don’t think there’s really anything you can do about it. If the character is based on you, or your life, then you may be able to take legal action.

  15. branch397 Avatar

    Just let it go, and be glad your name isn’t Michael Bolton. (But seriously, how did you “find” this book and deduce that the author was a teacher using an alias.)

  16. FREE-ROSCOE-FILBURN Avatar

    Maybe worth investigating, but it’s likely just a crazy coincidence. For example, there are 2 different minor league baseball pitchers named Brady Fiegl, both 6’4” with red hair but completely unrelated.