Can you use use an already famous person's (dead) name for YouTube?

August 25, 2023 1:52 PM

Hello all. I decided to start a second YouTube Channel to support the arts of visual and literary through showcasing artists' works, interviewing art historians, artists, and hoping to visit art galleries and museums if they allow filming with permission. I was wondering if could I call it Gough Support The Arts (taking Vincent Van Gough's name?). Or would that not be allowed for Trademark/Copyright reasons?
posted by RearWindow to Society & Culture (34 answers total)

Gough Support The Arts

Australia did buy Blue Poles while he was PM…
posted by zamboni at 2:10 PM on August 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

Sure, of course it's possible! Anything you want is possible, especially since Vincent van Gogh's name isn't "Gough". In other words, to use a Dutch expression: Go Your Gang!
posted by dmh at 2:17 PM on August 25, 2023

Response by poster: @dmh Shoot, I meant Gogh! Ha ha, I spelled it wrong.
posted by RearWindow at 2:21 PM on August 25, 2023

You can, but it's not pronounced Go. Here. So you could call it that, but I'd find it hard to take a channel seriously if they weren't aware of this. (Don't hate me!)
posted by dobbs at 2:23 PM on August 25, 2023 [10 favorites]

I think dmh was also referring to the "van"....

Not even all English speakers pronounce it like "go". From Doctor Who I learned that apparently "van Goff" is a (British?) thing.

FWIW, I didn't even get the pun you were going for until I read the comments. It just looked ungrammatical to me, like "Smith Support the Arts".
posted by trig at 2:28 PM on August 25, 2023 [3 favorites]

As noted the US and the UK have different incorrect pronunciations of “Gogh”. Depends on how localized you want it to be (or how okay you are with alienating pedants). As an American I would understand the attempted pun; being hypercorrect about the Dutch pronunciation would be much more to solicit an eye roll.
posted by supercres at 2:32 PM on August 25, 2023 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: @dobbs In North America it is prounced as Go. But in the UK it's more Goff. But you are right, the original Dutch name is not pronounced like that. But I think some people will get it and still relate to the name? Maybe I will wing it and see.
posted by RearWindow at 2:32 PM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

Don't do this. It reminds me of the people who try to make a pun with the word "phở" assuming it rhymes with "go" (it does not).
posted by splitpeasoup at 2:47 PM on August 25, 2023 [17 favorites]

Hm yeah I'm a Brit and I had no idea you were attempting a pun until I was halfway through this thread, it just looks like a kind of weird, badly-constructed word salad to me. I think I'd see it and assume Gogh was referring to a corporate sponsor or patron or something.

So I guess if you're very specifically aiming at a purely US audience, Gogh for it (see what I did there?), if you want it to have wider appeal, rethink.
posted by penguin pie at 3:04 PM on August 25, 2023 [4 favorites]

FWIW, it reads as “go” to me, and I suspect to a lot of people (at least in the US). Also FWIW, I know a lot of Vietnamese-owned restaurants that use the pho puns in their restaurant name and/or decor. I’m sure they know the correct pronunciation, but lean into it nonetheless. Maybe they hate it and do it just for the marketing, or maybe they understand that words are pronounced differently and not technically “correct” in different areas/cultures. I think it could work, but know your audience. Sorry this isn’t a direct answer to your question though.
posted by sillysally at 3:20 PM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

You'll encounter an international crowd in galleries and museums, and it's not that they'll pedantically insist on an authentic Dutch pronunciation, but rather that the pronunciation 'go' won't cross their minds.

f you want to borrow a name, much better to go for Gorky and then stubbornly assert your relation to Arshile.
posted by boudicca at 3:24 PM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

I am in North America. I've heard both. In SF there is a street spelled Gough but said "goth," so that might be it.

Technically, I think you can do it-- but there are a LOT of products that have done the same thing and which might be interested in defending their trademarks. My opinion is that the go/Van Gogh joke is played out and tired-- why bother with the potential for a trademark suit when you could just...come up with a different joke?
posted by blnkfrnk at 3:36 PM on August 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

Is it Vin-CENT...or VIN-cent?
posted by Czjewel at 3:36 PM on August 25, 2023

As another American, I would understand the attempted pun but I wouldn't necessarily appreciate it. I think it really depends on the audience you are going for.

This wasn't directly part of your question but I think the above also applies for the people you'll want to interview and institutions you'll want to engage with. I'm not a historian by profession but I do produce historical knowledge -- sometimes paid, sometimes not. Despite this not being my primary career, I am rather thoughtful about my associations.
posted by sm1tten at 3:41 PM on August 25, 2023 [3 favorites]

I have an American/Canadian background, and I have an art-related degree and do art-related things for work if you squint a little, though I'm not in art history. This is a "dad joke" level pun to me and would elicit an eye-roll. I would not be impressed with the cleverness. Not sure if you'd have legal problems but you'd have trouble convincing people with my shared context to watch, on the strength of that name.
posted by Alterscape at 3:46 PM on August 25, 2023 [5 favorites]

I'm an American with a fairly strong European art history background and I didn't get the pun at all on first read. Now I see what you were going for, and it tells me I'm definitely not the audience for your thing. Which might be fine, if your audience is people who have no prior exposure to art history.
posted by fingersandtoes at 4:17 PM on August 25, 2023

Response by poster: @Alterscape Yeah, it might be considered a bad 'dad joke' pun. What do you think of The Blank Canvas Carr To Life? After the famous Canadian painter Emily Carr?
posted by RearWindow at 4:18 PM on August 25, 2023

The Blank Canvas Carr To Life

I am a dad joke curator, and sadly do not get this one either.
posted by avocet at 4:20 PM on August 25, 2023 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: @avocet Shoot, I Carr was supposed to be like come to life? Maybe I will have to hire someone to come up with a creative name, I'm not good at this.
posted by RearWindow at 4:22 PM on August 25, 2023

This is a bad idea. You probably won’t get pushback from the rights holders for the estate in the Netherlands, but it just sounds tacky.
And filming in a museum with you cell-phone might not be illegal, but it’s also very amateur-hour.
I work in documentary and get so many questions from non-pros who want to Tik-Tok or YouTube their views on real artists, films, etc.. if you can’t find a Fair Use lawyer, I’m glad to recommend some.
posted by Ideefixe at 4:39 PM on August 25, 2023 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: @Ideefixe That would be great. I am in Canada though. I thought of this name: (Go)ugh Support the Arts to emphasise the Go with brackets, but would I get in trouble with using the Gough name? I honestly cannot think of a good name other than The Blank Canvas, and that sounds quite dull. I do like the artists Emily Carr, but can't think of a good pun title name for the channel with it.
posted by RearWindow at 4:44 PM on August 25, 2023

Again, it's van Gogh, not Gough. And the parentheses just make it even harder to parse, to be honest.
posted by sagc at 5:06 PM on August 25, 2023 [13 favorites]

If you’re worried about getting in trouble with his estate, Go(ugh) Support the Arts is a great choice and this internet stranger can guarantee that they won’t be bringing legal action.
posted by not just everyday big moggies at 5:47 PM on August 25, 2023 [4 favorites]

Also—while the art work you are discussing might be in the public domain, the photo of the art might be copy-protected and under the control of the photographer.
posted by Ideefixe at 6:30 PM on August 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: @Ideefixe Do you mean when I video record the artwork in an art museum or an artist's artwork overall? I mean, maybe I can't start a YouTube Channel like this if there are copy-protected rights. I have noticed some YouTube Channels that thrive on the arts are allowed to film in certain art galleries and I have seen some channels where they do interview the artists' works...so I am not even sure if artists would want to be interviewed and show their works if there are copy-right issues?
posted by RearWindow at 6:35 PM on August 25, 2023

Why not Go(gh) support the arts, if you are married to the pun?
posted by OHenryPacey at 6:42 PM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: @OHenryPacey I would go with that, but would there be copy right issues with Gogh's name?
posted by RearWindow at 6:44 PM on August 25, 2023

Mod note: RearWindow it's okay to just collect answers, no need to reply to every comment. Thank you.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:46 PM on August 25, 2023 [5 favorites]

I like the blank canvas. it's simple, mysterious. a little unoriginal sure, but unlikely to turn off folks, whereas puns have a...narrow audience.

don't get too hung up on this before you get started - I couldn't tell you the proper names of most youtube channels I subscribe to, they're all "you know, that one about money hosted by so-and-so" to me. Focus on the content.
posted by stray at 9:02 PM on August 25, 2023 [3 favorites]

The Blank Canvas, or just Blank Canvas, is a good name and I think frankly you'd have an easier time getting people (including the ones you want to interview) to take it seriously with a name like that than one with a pun.

Do take care to spell people's names right though.
posted by trig at 9:11 PM on August 25, 2023 [5 favorites]

I would just add that if I did get one of these heavily strained puns, I think I’d be expecting it to be a channel all about that one artist, not about art in general. Go with The Blank Canvas.
posted by penguin pie at 3:00 AM on August 27, 2023 [3 favorites]

Even if you spelt Gogh correctly I wouldn't get the pun because, as others said, it's pronounced "Goff" here in the UK. Then I'd assume it was only about Van Gogh.

If it had Carr in the title, my only reference would be one of the Alans (writer about how to stop smoking, or the British comedian/presenter).

Personally, I think you should forget the title for now, because coming up with the title, logo, etc is a classic way to waste time and not actually do the thing.

1. Decide on your videos' tone and target market (there's a very broad spectrum).
2. Make at least two videos through to being ready-to-publish, short of the title.
3. Well done, you now have a series of videos! You know what they actually feel like! Now, what sort of title suits them and makes sense for their market?
posted by fabius at 5:12 AM on August 27, 2023 [8 favorites]

US speaker who would pronounce Van Gogh as Van Goff. Not a fan of "Go(gh) support the Arts" because it just seems kind of forced and sort of like a command and neither is appealing.


I am in North America. I've heard both. In SF there is a street spelled Gough but said "goth," so that might be it.

Just to be clear, the street in San Francisco is pronounced "Goff".
posted by oneirodynia at 3:39 PM on August 27, 2023 [1 favorite]

"Go (gh) -- support the arts" sounds so reluctant and begrudging. Ew, mom says I have to go --- ugh -- support the arts, whatever.
posted by The corpse in the library at 7:54 AM on August 28, 2023 [6 favorites]