Protecting Fictional Characters Under U.S. Copyright Law - NOLO

 Today, Panzer made a trip to the NOLO site. There with a little digging in the posts our inquisitive kitty boy found one about copyrighting fictional characters.

 

According to the post by Richard Stim, Attorney, it is possible for writers to copyright the characters in their work.  There are, however, certain things the writer must do. The most important thing a writer must do is make sure the character is different and distinct from other characters. How? Something like a five-foot-tall cat who can change his color to blend in with his surroundings and who is telepathic. That would make the cat different and distinct from other cat characters. The post covers other necessary criteria and includes court decisions on the issue too.

I'm one of a kind.

Panzer says, "Or how about a dog who runs around in circles and barks at his tail? No you couldn't copyright that character. That's just what every dog does."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's educational reading session. 

To read the post tootle over to fictional characters