h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

About the copywright...
Nicknames can be taken from shows-right?

As far as I can tell there should be no problem with your nick whatsoever - There are all manner of researchers with names of charachters from books - I think there are at least 3 Zaphods for example...

...If you really want to be known as a smeg head, who are we to argue?

On the other hand, I suppose it does give you the ability to sign off from postings with "smoke me a kipper (skipper), I'll be back for breakfast", which would obviously be indeed

vp

Apparently "smeg" won't be censured...I'll remember that.
Smoke me kipper-bye

I doubt the mods will moderate smeg! Nor b*lgium for that matter.

Nicknames would probably come under fair use, because one name isn't a significant part of the entire series.

But beware that megalomaniac company executives frequently trademark the names of characters, in order to prosecute harmless amateurs who are writing 'slash fiction', and general make the world a less pleasant place to live in. You could look at the house rules for advice on this tricky issue, but all you'll find is: "As a rule of thumb, avoid using any Trade Marks and Confidential Information in your contributions!"

Helpful.

Hi Captain A.J. Rimmer

The FAQ says:

"Your Nickname is the name that will appear in your Personal Space and in any Conversation Postings you make, and it can be any name you like (though please don't create a rude Nickname, or we'll have to remove it). If you want to remain anonymous, that's fine by us too - just leave your Nickname as the default 'Researcher XXXXXX'."

Nicknames of fictional characters in films and programmes are okay to use, as long as they're not offensive in themselves. You can also use the name of actors as long as you're not attempting to pass yourself off as that person; as long as you're not adding offensive or defamatory comments to the name; and finally, as long as you're not using any politically sensitive names.

The Guidelines for the Afghan Crisis A647859 say:

"Impersonating Key People

Researchers will not be allowed to impersonate any key people involved in the crisis, as this could inflame any heated discussions on site. Although it is unlikely that anyone on h2g2 would actually be believed if they said they were a key person on the political scene, for the duration of this crisis we will remove any Nicknames or Personal Spaces that claim to be or relate to key people or key people's relatives."

I hope this answers your question!