Can you mention other characters in your book?

You can mention it. You can mention your character watched the Star Wars movie, drives a Toyota, drinks Coke, eats at McDonald’s, sings Lady Gaga songs while driving… You can write stories feature real historical figures, I think there’s a time limit but you might want to check with a copyright lawyer.

Can I use someone else’s character?

However, you can use someone else’s characters if the work you’re taking characters from is in the public domain. But if a work is not in the public domain and instead us copyrighted, only the copyright owner may create a new work with those characters or allow someone else to write a new story with the characters.

Can I write a book with a character from another book?

Yes, provided the characters are in works whose copyright has expired (see, for example, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), works whose authors have explicitly placed them in the public domain, or works for which you have signed a licensing agreement with the copyright holder.

Are book character names copyrighted?

IANAL disclaimer but generally character names themselves cannot be copyrighted. They may be trademarked but only if the literary work/movie/or a related product were named after the character. So, trademark would only come into play for secondary characters in widely merchandised works.

Can I use a character from book?

A: Characters are protected by copyright as long as they’re original and well-defined—the traits that probably make them desirable to use in your own work. Technically, it’s still copyright infringement.

Can you write a story that is similar to another story?

Just don’t write something based off of another author’s plot. If you came up with your story AFTER you found a different idea that is similar, you want to be careful not to base your plot in the same way. But if you are inspired and just use a couple of the same main ideas, that’s perfectly fine.

Can I copyright a character?

Copyright protection is available to both characters that have been solely described in writing, as well as characters depicted in a visual or graphic form. What is required is that the character in question possesses original or a set of distinctive traits, and visual representation is not an essential.

Can character names be trademarked?

Yes, the name of a fictional character or its graphical representation can be registered as a trademark if it is being used as a trademark. A fictional character can be used as a trademark in many ways, such as using the character as a logo for a business or for retail items.