How does Southpark not get sued for using so many licensed characters?

[Shamgarr]

How does Southpark get away with using so many characters from other shows? Like just in the Imaginationland episode they use hundreds of characters from other places. If I were to write a book and use Ronald McDonald, the Hamburglar, etc, as characters, would I not face legal ramifications? How does that work?

 

[CrazyJew]

The fair use laws protect parodies from copyright laws. [/thread]

 

[Phishfood]

The laws protect parody. The characters on South Park are not a copy but a Parody and usually do things that said characters would never actually do, like crack open a fetus and drink the insides.

 

[Something Amyss]

The fair use laws protect parodies from copyright laws. [/thread]

Yup.

So if the TC were to write a book about the hamburglar, they could face suits. If they wrote a book in which they satirically used the character, safe.

 

[keideki]

Have you ever heard the phrase, any publicity is good publicity? When people and fictional characters get parodied on shows like South Park, Family Guy and the Simpsons, most people take it as a compliment of sorts. It says, "your important enough in the public consciousness to be featured in a popular television series."