copyright intellectual-property
Can fictional abilities of a character be protected by copyright?
<p>Some examples of abilities from games:</p>
<ul>
<li>In Dota 2, the hero Queen of Pain has a ability/skill called <em>Scream of Pain</em>. It is essentially a kind of &quot;magical&quot; scream that damages nearby enemies.</li>
<li>In the Warcraft universe the so called &quot;night elves&quot; have an ability called <em>shadowmeld</em> that makes them invisible, leaving only the shadows.</li>
</ul>
<p>Are abilities like these protected by copyright? Also, there are any court cases regarding this?</p>

<h2>Your example powers are tropes and their basis in public domain</h2>
<p>The Queen of Pain's scream is modeled after the Banshee, which had a scream that would kill... and there are LOTS of variants of Banshee. In fact, <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OurBansheesAreLouder" rel="nofollow noreferrer">&quot;Our Banshees Are Louder&quot;</a> is a trope.</p>
<p>Hiding in a shadow or walking through it is for example a typical feature of Ninja stories since the Edo Period, and a common Trope as <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ShadowWalker" rel="nofollow noreferrer">&quot;Shadow walker&quot;</a>. That makes those two powers older than</p>
<h2>You can not have a copyright on concepts, facts, or ideas.</h2>
<p>Facts are not copyrightable, which was decided LONG ago over <em>Feist v Rural.</em> Neither can you copyright concepts or ideas. You won't get a claim on the concept of a damaging scream or turning into shadow. See also <a href="https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-protect.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Copyright.gov</a> (emphasis mine):</p>
<blockquote>
<p>How do I protect my idea?</p>
<p>Copyright does not protect ideas, concepts, systems, or methods of doing something.  You may <strong>express</strong> your ideas in writing or drawings and claim copyright in your description, but be aware that <strong>copyright will not protect the idea itself as revealed in your written or artistic work.</strong></p>
</blockquote>
