Mentioning real people in fiction

Antilles

If I mention a real person (or reference their work) in something I write and publish as fiction, is there some legal requirement to receive their permission?

For example, say I want a character to be a huge Isaac Asimov fan. He finds a planet full of androids and references the 3 laws of robotics. Is that okay?

alchemist33

I haven't legally tested this myself, but as long as you credit Asimov with the three laws (and don't claim credit yourself), you should be fine. I'm sure books get referenced in other books all the time.

EileenG

Of course it's fine, as long as whatever you saying about them is not libellous. You do not need permission to write about someone, or the newspapers would be empty.

It's virtually impossible to write a story without having a name that already belongs to a real person. You don't have to try to find a unique name by rolling your face on the keyboard.