So my MC's love interest she's inspired by my favorite actress and the character she plays in my favorite show. She's similar to the character the actress plays but is also different. Ways she's similar is she's an assassin and has a similar code name to the other character. I also named my character after the actress and the character's last name is a nod to the fact that she's inspired by the other character. I'm just worried she's too similar and I'm worried about copy write.
Copyright could be an issue, though copyright in a character itself is a bit more difficult for a rights owner to establish than in some other instances. You potentially have a right of publicity problem, though, if the character is named after the actress and readily identifiable as that person.
I doubt you can copyright a name (unless its a trademark like Mickey Mouse) Female assassins are a bit of a trope anyway - pretty much starting with La Femme Nikita, through Alias etc to Scarlet Johansen as the Black widow so its unlikely one can claim copyright on the character (and you can't copyright an idea anyway), Imo a larger problem is if its too obviously a rip off you'll get shit reviews from readers even if you avoid legal consequences. May be change the name or the code name or both ... problem solved
I think the name thing could cause problems. Is there a reason you're naming the character in question that? If it's just because of your favorite actress and character I'd change it.
