Answer: characters
Can you copyright a characterA well-developed character can be protected, but a name or a basic idea usually cannot
TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes.
The file stays on your device. Your browser makes a digital fingerprint of the file. TimeBinder records the fingerprint and the time, not the file.
Short answer
A character can be protected by copyright when it is distinctively developed in a creative work, such as a comic, book or film. The name alone, or a stock type like a wizard or detective, generally is not. Names may also be protected as trade marks. How much protection you get depends on the country and the facts.
What is protected and what is not
US courts ask whether a character is expressed with enough detail and has distinctive traits that persist across the work. In DC Comics v. Towle (9th Cir. 2015), the court held the Batmobile protectable as a character because it had physical and conceptual qualities, was sufficiently delineated and was especially distinctive. A visual design in a drawing can be protected as art, while a bare idea, such as “a detective with a drinking problem”, is not.
The character’s name falls on the other side of the line: see can you copyright a name. Where a character is used on products or in a business, trade marks often matter more than copyright.
Keeping a record as you develop a character
Keep dated sketches, reference sheets, scripts and exports as the character evolves. A TimeBind records a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact file and a time, anchored to Bitcoin. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file is not uploaded.
This can help show how a design developed over time. A TimeBind shows a file existed by a recorded time and has not changed since. It does not register copyright, is not legal advice and does not by itself prove who made the file. See prove a design or drawing existed first.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.
Frequently asked questions
Can you copyright a character name?
Generally no. A name may be a trade mark if used to identify goods or services.
Can you copyright a cartoon character?
The drawings and the character as developed in a work can be protected if they are original. Copyright applies to the expression, not to the bare idea.
Does an AI-generated character get copyright?
In the US, the Copyright Office has said human authorship is needed. Material made by AI without enough human creative control may not be protected.
Does a timestamp protect my character?
No. It only shows a file existed by a recorded time.
Sources
- US Copyright Office, Circular 33: Works not protected by copyright.
- Ninth Circuit, DC Comics v. Towle (2015).
- TimeBinder, Prove a design or drawing existed first.
Related guides and tools
- Prove a design or drawing existed firstDated records for designs
- Can you copyright a name?Names and trade marks
- Can you copyright AI-generated art?Human input and records
- Can you copyright a logo?Copyright and trade marks
- SHA-256 file hash checkerMake a fingerprint in your browser
- All answersShort answers to common file-proof questions
Record a fingerprint of the file you rely on
Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact file you hold.
- Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
- Add your files. They stay on your computer.
- Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.