If I write a novel with lightsaber, am I allowed to use the word "lightsaber"?

Avoid it for a better story.

For the sake of a better story, my recommendation is not to do it. As logical as the name "Lightsaber" is to describe a laser like sword, due to the success of Star Wars it will forever be associated with it.

In my humble opinion, it's going to jar your readers out of your story. The term lightsaber is instantly going to make a reader think "star wars". From that point they're either going to think that you're unoriginal, or start thinking that your story is somehow related. In both cases it's going to jar your reader from the story.

As far as the legal underpinnings... I have no idea.
 
It's very possible that you would get into hot water if your novel was published with the term 'lightsabre' used in it.

In any case, why would you want to use it? People will immediately associate the term with Star Wars and it could completely ruin any genuine atmosphere you'd managed to establish in your book.
 
maybe it depends on if you call it 'lightsabre' or 'lightsaber'.
you could have a light-cutlass...better yet a light-scimitar! yeah...a curved light beam jetting out from a hilt!!!

dj
 
Go the Gundam route and called it a "beam saber". (Ironically, or perhaps fittingly, this advice showed up earlier in the Anti-Guide thread.)
 
What about a lightaxe or a lightrapier?

Id say avoid using it cause you dont want to be seen as an idea stealer!
 
There are other weapons beside a light-sharp-pointy-thingy. How about a plasma-sword? Or a vibroblade?
 
Bridie said:
What about a lightaxe or a lightrapier?
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I'm pretty sure Gundam has those, too. Or maybe it was a "heat axe" the Zakus have. Ah, I'm sure a beam axe appeared somewhere in the franchise.

You could go the route of No More Heroes and have your lightsaber look like a big fluorescent lightbulb. I can see it now.

"I busted out my laser sword. They laughed at me. Said it looked like a big fluorescent lightbulb. Then I sliced off one guy's arm, the humming light-blade cutting through flesh and bone like butter. They stopped laughing at me after that. But they do have a point. It does look a lot like a big fluorescent lightbulb. I wonder how they managed it in Star Wars. The lightsabers there looked so much cooler."
 
Lucas is protective of his Star Wars stuff, though he's loosened up a lot over the years. But you can't protect a prop by copyright. Unless Lucas trademarked the word lightsaber, which I think is unlikely, then you would be fine.

But sf fans will hoot at you if you use it because of the Star Wars association, so while you can use it, I agree with the group saying why bother. You could call it a lightblade -- I don't think that would garner the same reaction.
 
I'd be curious to know if you would actually be sued. I mean, if you write a story and use the workd light sabre, and its really good, and you're really lucky, and it gets picked up, your publisher is likely going to suggest you change the name. Let's say that you refuse, but somehow the book gets published anyway and you sell a few thousand copies.

I think THEN you might find yourself in hot water. But even if that did happen, I suspect that you would have to make a significant amount of money with the book before anyone from Lucasfilm would bat an eyelash.

My advice:
If you're writing for fun and it's what you envision, go ahead and use the word lightsabre. No one's going to sue you for writing fan fiction. If you're trying to produce something marketable, you'll need to come up with a unique spin on it before a publisher will look at it anyway.
 
Lightsaber is copyrighted. You can't use it without permission. Blaster is generic, you can use that. Or come up with something unique. Go with unique. Is there a reason why it has to be a lightsaber?
 
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Depending on the setting of the story, you could just call it a sword.
I mean, if it's futuristic and there are JUST lightsabers and not steel swords... just call them swords and desribe them.;)
 
I very, very seriously doubt that you can copyright a word like "lightsabre".

But the question is not so much CAN you use it as do you really WANT to?

It's actually not all that great of a term, just popular. If you can't come up with something better to call your weapon, you probably shouldn't be writing SF.
 
As is the popular opinion i think you can legaly use it but i wouldn't. you could even try and come up with something cooler. not just talking about what you call it but the weapon it's self. You could make something tottaly awsome. You could mention ligthsabers in your book though. like, "It's derived from a lightsaber but this is the newest and most powerful weapon you can atain." something like that. mabey. good luck.
 
lin said:
I very, very seriously doubt that you can copyright a word like "lightsabre".
Click to expand...

D&D had to use 'halflings' instead of 'hobbit' because they didn't want to get sued for copyright infringement by the Tolkien estate.
 
wow now thats extreem posesive!! i mean come on copyrighting a word!!!!
 
You can get away with using Sherlock Holmes in a story because the works of Arthur Conan Doyle are in the public domain. The works of George Lucas and J.R.R. Tolkien are not. Elves and blasters are generic terms, anyone can use them. Lightsabres and Jedi Knights and hobbits are unique to those writer's works and cannot be used without permission.
 
You could be like Lord British and just change one letter in the name, like the "nobbits" of some of the early Ultimas. When you think about it, an n is really just a decapitated h, which makes the move all the more devious. Actually, I think this one needs to go in the Anti-Guide. ^_^;
 
There is a big difference between a word like "light saber" which describes something and "Hobbitt". Think about it a minute and you will see several reasons to say that.

You might copyright "Ewoks", but pretty tough to copyright "spaceship" or "transporter" or some such.
 
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