: Re: What are the copyright limitations for adopting a fictional character's name as your Pen Name? I wanted to use 'Dumbledore' as a part of my pen name. But I was told that by doing so I might,

@Speyer920

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Character names in a book or story cannot be specifically copyrighted, so that in itself is not an issue. Having said that, though, if a character is "fully delineated" and well-defined, then that in itself is enough to warrant that the character himself IS included under the copyright protection of the author, and his name or likeness could not be used without the authors permission. In this particular case, I believe you would have a problem.

Also, many notable authors have taken out Trademarks on their characters, and by doing so they have effectively eliminated the ability of anyone to use those character's names or likenesses. I doubt that this one has been Trademarked, so that wouldn't likely be an issue , but it is definitely something you'd want to research.

The real issue you will face is the fact that the name you are considering using is one that is readily recognizable and belongs to a character that truly is "fully realized". If you intended to use this name in your own writing, you would definitely have an issue, especially if you were describing a character that in any way resembles the original. However, using it as part of a pen name may be considered acceptable, but you'd be running the risk of future issues if the author decides that you shouldn't be using it. This could especially be a problem if your pen name is used while you are writing a fantasy story with wizards and witches, because it could be argued that you are trying to capitalize on the name to draw more attention to your own work.

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