Is there a list of them anywhere to prevent someone else calling their book the same name? Or could anyone name their book the same as one already written?
A couple of years back I bought the wrong "Power of the Dog" on Amazon. I had intended to buy the Don Winslow one and ended up with the Thomas Savage book (which I think has since been made into a film)
I think you mean "trademark" rather than "patent" since the latter relates to something new which can be produced and also either a technical process or a method of doing something.
Quote:
"The UK courts have on several occasions held that there is no copyright in a name, a single word or title as they are not long enough to constitute a literary work".
By law though, a copy of every book published in the UK has to be sent to the British Library. So a search of the Library's catalogue would usually be sufficient to see whether a title has already been used: http://explore.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?vid=BLVU1
Incredz - there is a book by Philip Newman Safer than a known way - about Dr Newman's adventures as a POW in Germany and escapee
there is another different book by a Philip Newman - safer than a known way who writes about his time in Japan as a FEPOW.
I know because ma daydy is mentioned in the first book ( unsuccessful escaper) - and to my surprise found I had bought the second book title abou Japan !
(They gave me my money back and said 'wow')