THE HORRORS OF COPYRIGHT LAW: AN ANALYSIS OF CHARACTER COPYRIGHT ISSUES & ICONIC HORROR VILLAINS.

Character copyrightability is a complex and nuanced legal issue that the courts have wrestled with for decades. Due to this, the outcomes of copyright protection cases can be unpredictable. This unpredictability can lead the creators of original content to feel insecure in the preservation of their work, which is crucial for the future of impactful and creative original works. While the issue of character copyrightability has been explored, this paper will examine character copyright protection for infamous horror movie villains whose likenesses were appropriated following their rise to popularity. This article will utilize cases involving the villains Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Ghostface to delve into the issue of horror movie character copyrightability. Characters' images and likenesses drive the popularity of horror movies and franchises. This is why the protection of horror movie characters specifically is imperative. Character copyright protection allows creators to freely produce original concepts and be rewarded for creativity. Character copyrightability should be a reliable legal approach to ensure the preservation of iconic horror characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]