Fictional companies
Encyclopedia
Fictional companies are often used in film
or television
where copyright
or the likely chance of being prosecuted exists from using the name of a real company. They may be used on television in countries where the use of real company names or trademarks is prohibited in dramatic presentations to avoid the possibility of product placement
.
The trend to use fictional companies started with fictional airline
companies, as in action films, where the action centers on problems on the flight or the aircraft, the film could discourage possible customers from flying with a particular airline.
Often, when a fictional company is used, it will be a parody
of a real world counterpart, which would avoid any unwanted legal issues.
In other cases (such as Lost's
Oceanic Airlines) fictional brands have been carried across multiple series and even from movies to TV. Oceanic first appeared in the 1996 movie Executive Decision and has been seen in multiple series and films, including its high-profile place in Lost.
Other times a fictional corporation is an in-joke carried across multiple products by the same games developer, director, or writer. The Ulthor Mining Corporation, for instance, shows up in several video games from Volition including their modern-day Saint's Row series and the science fiction Red Faction series. Similarly Big Kahuna Burger fast food franchises have received at least a passing mention in every Quentin Tarantino
movie.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
or television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
where copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
or the likely chance of being prosecuted exists from using the name of a real company. They may be used on television in countries where the use of real company names or trademarks is prohibited in dramatic presentations to avoid the possibility of product placement
Product placement
Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
.
The trend to use fictional companies started with fictional airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
companies, as in action films, where the action centers on problems on the flight or the aircraft, the film could discourage possible customers from flying with a particular airline.
Often, when a fictional company is used, it will be a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of a real world counterpart, which would avoid any unwanted legal issues.
In other cases (such as Lost's
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
Oceanic Airlines) fictional brands have been carried across multiple series and even from movies to TV. Oceanic first appeared in the 1996 movie Executive Decision and has been seen in multiple series and films, including its high-profile place in Lost.
Other times a fictional corporation is an in-joke carried across multiple products by the same games developer, director, or writer. The Ulthor Mining Corporation, for instance, shows up in several video games from Volition including their modern-day Saint's Row series and the science fiction Red Faction series. Similarly Big Kahuna Burger fast food franchises have received at least a passing mention in every Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
movie.