Recurring characters in the Hercule Poirot stories is called "Johnny". The 2002 ITV adaptation of "Sparkling Cyanide" featured Oliver Ford Davies as "Colonel Geoffrey Reece". Countess Vera Rossakoff is the only woman with whom Hercule Poirot has ever admitted to being in love. The countess' true name is a mystery. She appears in only one novel, "The Big Four", and two short stories, "The Double Clue" and "The Capture of Cerberus" ("The Labours of Hercules" series). Recurring characters in the Hercule Poirot stories This page details the other fictional characters created by Agatha Christie in her stories about the Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. Hastings first meets Poirot
Copyright protection for fictional characters similarities in their respective characters’ names, as well as in their visual representations and conceptual characteristics. However, the Court in "VT Thomas" did not discuss independent copyright in characters as this case was concerned with the issue of ownership of copyright. Further, the comparative analysis in "Raja Pocket Books" to arrive at a conclusion of infringement was undertaken by the Court without firstly stating that copyright subsisted in the plaintiff’s character. Therefore, in India, it can be implied that copyright protection is available to fictional characters, but the judiciary is yet to lay down any criteria for availing this protection.