Writing about a deceased person

[DDDD]

Hi,

I want to write and stage a musical about the life of a deceased person. They were relatively famous.

In UK law, do I need any permission, perhaps, from their estate?

And if I go ahead and tell their story accurately, do I run the risk of breaching copyright law of some kind?

I know that its not possible to libel the dead (although is certainly not my intention), so presumably that gives me an element of poetic licence. But if my script and songs are factually accurate, could there be any grounds for someone to object.

Any guidance or advice really would be appreciated.

Thanks

DD

[AndyJ]

Hi DDDD,

There are no copyright implications in depicting someone's biography, even in a musical. As you mention, the most relevant law would be that of defamation, and that doesn't apply to a deceased person. And similarly you won't have any problems over data protection or privacy law where a dead person is concerned. Just be careful about how you deal with any living relatives or friends.