Will Toho hunt me down if I use a poster image on an ebook?

[The Top Crusader]

My first thought was, "Toho loves to send cease and desist letters, don't bother!" There is, though, that neat looking book dedicated to kaiju movie posters that has been making the rounds over the fandom, and I'm under the impression it's a labor of love and not a licensed Toho product (but I could be wrong), so I figured it was worth asking on here, since we've got a few authors and people who can say things that sound official. I already have a stock free photo in place, but Godzilla and Megalon on top of the WTC is much more catchy.

[planetxleader]

Chances are the book you're talking about probably won't get the attention of Toho simply because there's so much self-published stuff out there.

But if you're creating an e-book I would say stick with the stock photo you've purchased. It's just the classy and proper thing to do, even if the danger of getting sued is minimal.

[The Top Crusader]

But is at as classy as Godzilla and Megalon on the World Trade Center!?

Haha, you're probably right, though. My thought was use the generic photo for the physical book and the other for the ebook only because that can be changed practically instantly and if I understand correctly updates pushed out if anyone was angry about it.

[planetxleader]

Yeah, I don't know about how the e-book stuff works on the technical side, but either way, if the content's on the inside that's even less of a chance, I suppose. But then again, it wouldn't hurt (and would also be a good idea) to put a little ©Toho under any of the photos you use.

[The Top Crusader]

If I could get away with filling the book with pictures I totally would have, but I figured that was way too big of a risk and would be difficult to correct. A cover is at least easier to change out quickly. I considered using photos of my own action figures, haha. Would that still be considered Godzilla (or whichever Toho monster) likeness? I thought it could be amusing to work into the book how litigious Toho is and have obviously bad recreations of posters with action figures or crude drawings, but then I realized I would be the only person amused by it, even if I could get away with it.

[planetxleader]

Now that's getting into minute technicalities that even I'm not sure of, lol. I doubt copyright laws cover pictures the toys to which copyright is owned.

...I also doubt any of this is a serious concern beyond that.