Blending character traits in a cauldron may not be copyright infringement, says US Court of Appeals

Recently, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Court) dismissed an appeal concerning a character copyright infringement claim. Upholding the decision of the District Court for the Central District of California, the Ninth Circuit held that Anna Biani’s (appellant) copyright over her characters Charlotte, Frederick, and Landon were not infringed by the characters Vanessa and Malcolm who