Abstract
This Comment defines what qualifies as a character and what makes the character eligible or ineligible for copyright protection. This Comment proposes placing characters on a spectrum, from those that are granted full copyright protection to those that are denied legal security. When the line is not clear regarding whether a character is an original expression or is a persona of the actor, this Comment suggests utilizing the merger doctrine as a personal affirmative defense to eliminate a studio¿s inflexible copyright control and to release the character into the actor¿s shared control.
Recommended Citation
Sydney Altman,
Persona¿Character Copyrights and Merger¿s Role in the Evolution of Entertainment Expressions,
67
Emory L. J.
735
(2018).
Available at:
https://scholarlycommons.law.emory.edu/elj/vol67/iss4/2