Zorro (novel) Zorro (novel) Zorro is a 2005 novel by Chilean author Isabel Allende. Its subject is the pulp hero Diego de la Vega, better known as El Zorro (The Fox), who was featured in an early 20th-century novel. The novel takes the form of a biography and was the first origin story for this legendary character. In terms of material, it is a prequel to Johnston McCulley's 1919 novella "The Curse of Capistrano," which first featured the character of Zorro. The story incorporates details from a variety of works that have featured the pulp hero, including the 1998 film "The Mask
Zorro still protected by copyright, but there are at least three exceptions: the 1919 novel "The Curse of Capistrano", the 1920 film "The Mark of Zorro" and the 1922 novel "The Further Adventures of Zorro" are in the public domain in the United States since they publicly appeared before 1923. A company called Zorro Productions, Inc., asserts that it "controls the worldwide trademarks and copyrights in the name, visual likeness and the character of Zorro." It further states "[t]he unauthorized, unlicensed use of the name, character and/or likeness of 'Zorro' is an infringement and a violation of state and federal laws."