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Some form of this disclaimer can be found at the front of nearly every novel out there as well as in the credits of most films and TV episodes. It's an attempt to stave off libel suits; it seems to have been originated as a response to a suit against the makers of the 1932 film Rasputin and the Empress by a Russian princess who believed one of the characters to have been modeled on her. Think of it as the more professional equivalent of I Do Not Own (though, as publishing companies and Hollywood studios, unlike fanfic authors, actually have lawyers working for them, it's more likely to carry some amount of legal force).

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  • This Is a Work of Fiction
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  • Some form of this disclaimer can be found at the front of nearly every novel out there as well as in the credits of most films and TV episodes. It's an attempt to stave off libel suits; it seems to have been originated as a response to a suit against the makers of the 1932 film Rasputin and the Empress by a Russian princess who believed one of the characters to have been modeled on her. Think of it as the more professional equivalent of I Do Not Own (though, as publishing companies and Hollywood studios, unlike fanfic authors, actually have lawyers working for them, it's more likely to carry some amount of legal force).
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dbkwik:all-the-tro...iPageUsesTemplate
dbkwik:allthetrope...iPageUsesTemplate
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  • Some form of this disclaimer can be found at the front of nearly every novel out there as well as in the credits of most films and TV episodes. It's an attempt to stave off libel suits; it seems to have been originated as a response to a suit against the makers of the 1932 film Rasputin and the Empress by a Russian princess who believed one of the characters to have been modeled on her. Think of it as the more professional equivalent of I Do Not Own (though, as publishing companies and Hollywood studios, unlike fanfic authors, actually have lawyers working for them, it's more likely to carry some amount of legal force). Sometimes this disclaimer is the only part of the movie that's fiction, especially when the real people in question lived long enough ago that they're not going to sue anybody. (And sometimes publishers make the mistake of putting it in books openly Based on a True Story; e.g., the first printing of the Touchstone paperback edition of Schindler's List.) Works Based on a True Story may use a modified disclaimer, acknowledging the historical basis for the work but stating that it doesn't necessarily conform 100% to history. Although not a Dead Unicorn Trope, this can easily be mistaken for one by the unobservant. When played straight, the disclaimer is generally buried amid a bunch of similar legalese (at the end of the credits or on the copyright page of the book, for example) where it might be easily missed. More playful versions are generally given much more prominent placement, so everyone can recognize how clever the creators are being. If a work uses Write Who You Know, the issue will probably be avoided. A Sub-Trope of Our Lawyers Advised This Trope. Compare No Celebrities Were Harmed, No Communities Were Harmed. Contrast Dan Browned, where you have a work of fiction that the author tries to pass off as true or accurate.
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