Using Real Name vs Fake Name for media works?

S

SMSabir

Member
Please help and guide me.

Question 1. What is the legal status of using a fake name for showbiz instead of using real name?

Question 2. Do i need to legally declare that fake name as a part of my real name or not?

Question 3. In legal agreements/contracts with studios and production houses do i need to mention my real name as Mr. Jack Smith aka Johny Smash?

Question 4. Are there any ethical or social issues using fake names for media work?

Question 5. Can anyone share their own experiences regarding such matter?

Also any suggestions or guidance for me?

Thanks.
 
The actors/performers union Equity(?) requires actors/performers to register a "Stage Name" and this has been common for years. Also for things like the Porn Industry it is very common not to use your real name :-) However the (real) name you use for the legal paperwork does not have to be the same name (or label) used to credit you on screen. I think that actors with an Equity card can use their stage name on contracts as they are effectively a legal entity (like a company) trading under that name. Perhaps some one can confirm this?

Passports (in some countries) can be registered under "the name you are commonly known as" so AFAIK many actors have passports in their Stage Name (as proved by their equity card) I stand to be corrected on this (but I have legally helped arrange passports for two people using names other than those on their birth certificates)

You don't say where in the world you are. the laws are different in different countries.
 
SMSabir said:
Please help and guide me.

Question 1. What is the legal status of using a fake name for showbiz instead of using real name?

Question 2. Do i need to legally declare that fake name as a part of my real name or not?

Question 3. In legal agreements/contracts with studios and production houses do i need to mention my real name as Mr. Jack Smith aka Johny Smash?

Question 4. Are there any ethical or social issues using fake names for media work?

Question 5. Can anyone share their own experiences regarding such matter?

Also any suggestions or guidance for me?

Thanks.
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1) Make any checks payable to the "real name".

2) This depends on the context. If you are entangled in legal action, the documents will refer either to your real name or, if you become rather famous/infamous, both.

3) Your lawyers will likely be mentioning both, to avoid any ambiguity.

4) You have to have an original name. Being deemed non-offensive - something like "AA Hitler" would not get you far in Hollywood - is a given.

5) I might help to refer to your "fake name" as Nom de Plume (pen name, mostly reserved for writers), a pseudonym or a "stage name". "Fake name" connotes the lack of familiarity with the industry.

PS. I am not a lawyer nor have I ever played one on TV. I do, however, use Nom de Plume.
 
jagraphics said:
Also for things like the Porn Industry it is very common not to use your real name :-) ...
Click to expand...
Oddly enough, its biggest (ahem) star used mostly his real name (and, no, it wasn't Dirk Diggler).

Back in 1990, I went to the CES, which then shared space with the adult industry at the old Sahara Hotel. The late great Russ Mayer (real name) was there with his latest starlet that presented herself as Beverly Hills (the hills were as real as her name).
 
Depends - depends - depends (no, not the product for incontinence). Depends on what country, and which jurisdiction. Some of your questions are overly broad. You may need to use your real name vs stage name in different contexts, such as taxes. It may also impact the rights to your work - f.ex. a nom de plume may have a different length of copyright protection for a book vs a real name etc. It all depends - all very complicated. Only person really qualified to answer these questions is a lawyer in a given jurisdiction, and that is nobody on this board. Best of luck!
 
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