Is it stealing or “ripping -off” if you use a title that someone already used for their book title?

Question by zebra_2009: Is it stealing or “ripping -off” if you use a title that someone already used for their book title?
In other words, I did not know till much later that the idea I had for a western already had a book called “The Centennial” thought it was just a movie title. I was wanting to use “The Centennial” as the name of the ranch in which my characters “The Buchanan’s” lived and operated out of. I was inspired by “Bonanza” so its sorta like the show but totally differnt.

Best answer:

Answer by Maryn Bittner
Nope, there’s no copyright on titles. Use whatever one fits your work best. There are plenty of books with exactly the same title as other books.

A few titles which turned into movies or TV shows with merchandise tie-ins are trademarked, and those you can’t use.

Give your answer to this question below!