biopic - How can a studio make a biographic film like The Social Network?

Do the film
makers take permission of all the real people (that were portrayed in the film) before
making the film?

If not, is it okay / legal for anyone to
make such a film - considering that it portrays (down to using the real names of) people
who are alive during the screening of the movie - especially if many of the parts of the
film are " href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285016/trivia?tab=tr&item=tr1375858">apparently"
inaccurate?

I tried searching in relation to The
Social Network and could not get any definite answer. What I got was this
following quote from href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285016/trivia?tab=tr&item=tr1351193">IMDB:

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was not involved with this film

adaptation of author Ben Mezrich's biographical novel 'The Accidental

Billionaires', neither did he meet Jesse Eisenberg prior to, or
during, the
movie shoot.

class="post-text" itemprop="text">

class="normal">Answer

No one owns the story
of their own life. It is absolutely legal for people to write unauthorized biographies,
make documentaries or dramas about someone without needing their permission. You do not
need permission to portray a real person in a work of art such as a book or movie - this
happens all the time.

As for accuracy, in most countries
you have recourse to the law if you think you have been href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defamation">libeled by someone in a work
of art. However the level of proof and the necessity to demonstrate damage to your
reputation may be high depending on the country you attempt to do this in - it is for
example easier to claim libel in the UK compared to the USA. Freedom of speech is
enshrined in law in many countries and works against rights to privacy or being
libeled.

Finally it is often simply not worth fighting
something like this, the negative publicity of trying to stifle the creator of a work of
art can at times be considerable. Taking to the courts to defend your privacy can draw
attention to your situation or your discomfort more .. see the href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect">Streisand
Effect.

The fact that this book and the movie are
about a lawsuit, would make any defamation claim that might be brought by Mark Z even
bigger news - therefore likely to be worse publicity, even if he could prove libelous
damage against him. Given that he is a very successful businessman, it is probably not
worth his time and effort pursuing it.