7 replies to this topic

[Lonely Gunman]

What would I have to do, if I would want to write and publish a book about James Bond, that includes both characters from the Fleming novels and the movies?

[Gormo66]

I dont know if this helps you but...

For my High School Senior project I made a bond fan film complete with gun barrel and credit sequence. I asked MGM about it and they let me do it on the fact that it was for "educational purposes" only. Sorry if that didnt help you. It was an awsome movie!

Gorm

[Lonely Gunman]

zencat (17 May, 2002 12:56 a.m.):
You would need permission from both Glidrose (the holders of the copyright on the literary Bond) and from Danjaq and MGM (holders of the film rights and film characters) and all their agents and lawyers. Good luck.

So I think it would be the best to write a short treatment and send it around. And I guess it does not make a change if I would make allusions to the novels and the movies, and change the names. Is there a chance that they turn a blind eye if the book would be a homage to Bond? (Like Pearsons Bond-biography)

[zencat]

Lonely Gunman (17 May, 2002 06:08 p.m.):

zencat (17 May, 2002 12:56 a.m.):
You would need permission from both Glidrose (the holders of the copyright on the literary Bond) and from Danjaq and MGM (holders of the film rights and film characters) and all their agents and lawyers. Good luck.

So I think it would be the best to write a short treatment and send it around. And I guess it does not make a change if I would make allusions to the novels and the movies, and change the names. Is there a chance that they turn a blind eye if the book would be a homage to Bond? (Like Pearsons Bond-biography)

I would start by changing the name "James Bond." That's about the only way anyone is going to turn a blind eye if your intention is to publish or profit from this project. And Glidrose commissioned Pearson to write the Bond-bio.

I know from experience that Eon will NEVER look at any Bond idea or treatment or script until they have a development deal with that writer. Not sure how it works at Glidrose, but I wouldn't be surprised if they have a similar closed-door policy to spec material.

[Hardyboy]

I think I can help you here. I'm a PhD in British Literature and I have a book on Thomas Hardy coming out early next year (hence the name), so I've had a lot of experience dealing with publishers. If this is a critical book--one designed for academic purposes and which would probably have a small market--you can pretty much quote the material at will, so long as you give complete citations from the sources. (Academics can make use of "fair use" laws.) If this is a commercial book--one that's written mainly for fans and which would have a huge press run (and which would make the author a lot of money, unlike academic books)--you may have to get permission from Glidrose to use extensive quotes, but they probably wouldn't charge you much. If you've written your own James Bond novel with characters from the original Fleming works, you're out of luck--you'd get sued. Hope this helps, and good luck.

[Hardyboy]

Oh, Lonely Gunman, I missed that you also want to use material from the movies. In either an academic or commercial book, you can use limited quotes from the movies, so long as you don't end up recreating an entire script. Also, if it's an academic book, there's no charge to publish film stills--again, this is considered fair use. However, you'd have to pay whoever finds the stills for you. Again, though, if it's a commercial book, you may end up having to pay EON, Sean Connery, or whoever, for the use of their images.

[James Page]

Live in Brazil :-D

You would of course not eb making precedent if you did so....

http://www.commander...n=Story&SID=426

[zencat]

Lonely Gunman (17 May, 2002 12:04 a.m.):
What would I have to do, if I would want to write and publish a book about James Bond, that includes both characters from the Fleming novels and the movies?

You would need permission from both Glidrose (the holders of the copyright on the literary Bond) and from Danjaq and MGM (holders of the film rights and film characters) and all their agents and lawyers. Good luck.