Pittsburgh, PA asked in Copyright for Pennsylvania

Q: Can I make a play on a name of a series for the name of a blog.

I want to make a blog about exterior remodeling and we do a lot of James Hardie products. So my main source of content would be tips and tricks for installing as well as reviews and other aspect of home remodeling. But I don't know if It'll be copyright to the series The Hardy Boys as well as working in the product name of James Hardie. I want the name of the blog to be The Hardie Boys.

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1 Lawyer Answer
Fritz-Howard Raymond Clapp
Fritz-Howard Raymond Clapp
Answered
  • Intellectual Property Lawyer
  • Beverly Hills, CA

A: Although James Hardie Industries owns the trademark HARDIE for siding materials, your use of the word as the name of an informative blog would not be infringing. Regarding the old Hardy Boys works of fiction, the titles themselves are not the subject of copyright and your use would be "transformative" anyway. So there should be no legal objection to your using the title The Hardie Boys.

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