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Using celebrity names in my music

RoscoeB	Date: January 3, 2006 @ 3:13 PM Hey all! I've written a new song that includes some celebrity names. They're not negative references. It really just talks about hanging out with them. In particular Eminem, FiftyCent, Angelina Jolie, etc. Is there anything illegal about using their names? Do you need permission? I've heard other artists use celeb names and they're not always positive but I'd like to be sure. Thanks!
2step-4eva	Date: January 3, 2006 @ 3:40 PM im pretty certain it would be ok but i'm no expert on the matter
kingo	Date: January 3, 2006 @ 3:58 PM Great Jesus. Are you sure you didn't mention Hillary Duff?
GeneHilbert	Date: January 3, 2006 @ 4:02 PM No...... What about Duff's muff?
TameasDust	Date: January 3, 2006 @ 7:18 PM
shadowself	Date: January 4, 2006 @ 12:11 PM The only person who I can think of that has usage rights on mentioning his name would be Leo_____ DiCap____ (edited for fear of LAWSUIT LEO!!!). Because, as you know, he's MUCH better than the likes of US.
RoscoeB	Date: January 5, 2006 @ 10:32 AM Well, luckily enough I didn't mention HIS name. I guess I'll leave everything "as is". When the song sells a million copies (LOL), they can sue me if it's wrong to do so. On one hand I don't understand why it would be any different than the tabloids talking about them (freedom of press and rights to free speech). On top of that, there are plenty of songs that are disrespectful of celebs (like Eminem in regards to Michael Jackson). However, I realize that it's not legal to earn money based on someone elses name or fame - not that I have or ever would make money with the song but I had hoped to submit it to some local radio stations and of course, put it online here. Then again, I'm new to all of this and still trying to figure out how to do all of that.
Door13itch	Date: January 18, 2006 @ 12:18 AM Im sure that you are allowed to, as long as that the names are there to help sell the song. And that they do not disrespect them ethiter. By the way the Jackson tried to sue Eminem about the song (I thinks so anyway)
deerok	Date: January 31, 2006 @ 6:43 PM make sure to throw in 'california' and 'mtv' and you'll have a garonteed smash hit
trancesepted	Date: February 6, 2006 @ 3:20 AM
plungerboy	Date: January 17, 2007 @ 3:20 PM Well their just names, if my surname was Jolie, and I called my daughter Angelina, would I be sued? What would become of my daughter???
GeneHilbert	Date: January 17, 2007 @ 3:44 PM I don't think they could really do anything about it. You as artist have poetic license. As well as an example - if you were a photographer and took their picture. The picture is your property not theirs. As long as you are not accusing them of fictitious behavior or slandering them in someway. You’re probably OK, and even then……. unless you are filthy rich or made a mint on the tune. It’s probably more detrimental to their image to sue you than the original tune could do……. Unless of course you had some real dirt.
leflaw	Date: January 17, 2007 @ 5:41 PM You can use my name.
sinai	Date: January 17, 2007 @ 7:20 PM you're not allowed to use my name, but if you want to, you're allowed to use the essence of my name in abstract comparison to...say, sculpture.
shadowself	Date: January 17, 2007 @ 8:02 PM
sinai	Date: January 17, 2007 @ 11:10 PM i'm touched that you actually spent time looking for that
GeneHilbert	Date: January 18, 2007 @ 3:53 PM Some people just don't have enough to do.....
shadowself	Date: January 18, 2007 @ 4:08 PM Nonsense. Some people are awesome at multitasking.
GeneHilbert	Date: January 18, 2007 @ 4:13 PM I'm hearing ya.....
pangtera	Date: January 18, 2007 @ 11:52 PM Well, I threw in a "G" in the middle of Pantera to create my alias for a plethora of music sites. So far I haven't got sued, but then again, Pantera is no more...so yeah. Hahaha.
Opossum	Date: January 18, 2007 @ 11:58 PM All that comes to mind is that Neil Young has the song about hanging out with Pocahontas and Marlon Brando. But you mean living people, right? My real last name has been used in part in HUNDREDS of songs, but I won't go into that...
zedsalt	Date: January 19, 2007 @ 10:51 AM Now, see, I always thought "Pangtera" was a play on the name of the Roman soldier that some folks think was the biological father of Jesus...
PrincessTast...	Date: January 22, 2007 @ 10:16 AM What?
zedsalt	Date: January 22, 2007 @ 10:46 AM There is a fairly large contingent of Christians who believe that Jesus' physical body was fathered by a Roman soldier named Pantera who raped Mary.
mattbanx	Date: January 26, 2007 @ 9:56 PM I used a celebrity name once. But it's nothing I plan on doing anything with. I always had some paranoid instinct about doing that. I know satire sells, and celbrity types often get put into that. From just what I have read around the net, there is no law against it. As long as there is not anything inflamatory. Zed, I think Pantera and Nazereth should come together and play.
SirGeneralX	Date: January 27, 2007 @ 6:44 PM I notice that TheGame is always using another celebritys name in every song he makes. And Dr.Dre's name is probably in all of his songs. It gets annoying after awhile. I can see already there wont be anyone on this thread that would know what im talking about...
sinai	Date: January 28, 2007 @ 8:21 AM what?
officernarc	Date: October 29, 2007 @ 12:08 PM On 31st Jan 2008, deerok said: make sure to throw in 'california' and 'mtv' and you'll have a garonteed smash hit "mtv get off the air" not a hit.
Tattoomom	Date: October 29, 2007 @ 3:36 PM If you use my name, does that mean I am a celebrity?
ShadowMumu	Date: October 29, 2007 @ 8:26 PM I used someone's name once... Can't exactly remember when that was though...
Tattoomom	Date: October 30, 2007 @ 10:31 AM Remember when Prince changed his name to that weird symbol? That'd be pretty hard to use in a song.
zedsalt	Date: October 30, 2007 @ 11:42 AM Y'know, it's funny- if the references in RoscoeB's song were negative...unquestionably, viciously negative...it would DEFINITELY be legal in the U.S., as parody is protected by the First Ammendment. But by remaining positive, he runs the risk of getting the wrong judge and getting into trouble.
officernarc	Date: October 30, 2007 @ 11:52 AM i'm pretty sure that would actually fall under slander, if that was the case.
zedsalt	Date: October 30, 2007 @ 12:04 PM No, if you wrote and distributed a song that repeated the line "Michael Jackson sucks" over and over for four minutes, no one could successfully sue you. If you used the line "I like Michael Jackson" in the same fashion, and Jackson's lawyers heard about it, then asked you to stop all public distribution (free or for profit) of the song, and you didn't comply within thirty days, you could be in SERIOUS trouble.
southwing	Date: October 30, 2007 @ 1:21 PM don't you dare use 'KNIGHTMOODS' in your song, or else
zedsalt	Date: October 31, 2007 @ 10:44 AM Well, damn. I was just working on the knightmoods, y'know, trying to lose those awkward teenage blues...a pretty major concern now that I'm forty. Y'know, I dated a former Segerette briefly.
BOWILLIE	Date: October 31, 2007 @ 10:46 AM i smoked a segerette once
zedsalt	Date: October 31, 2007 @ 10:52 AM I'm tempted to say I left mine smokin', but technically, I think that was steam.
BOWILLIE	Date: October 31, 2007 @ 10:53 AM
Tattoomom	Date: October 31, 2007 @ 12:07 PM I wonder what rhymes with TattooMom?