Recurring characters in the Hercule Poirot stories 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 during his years as a private detective in Europe. Almost immediately after they both arrive in England, he becomes Poirot's partner, and appears in many of the novels and stories. Poirot's view of Hastings was of a man with plenty of imagination but not a great deal of brains. Hastings was capable of great bravery when the going got tough, facing death unflinchingly when confronted by the "Big Four"
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.