AFAIK copyright is automatic and applies only to the actual piece of work (a music, book, film, game, software, etc) so that only the author is permitted to make copies of the work or give others the authorization to do so. Product and company names and logos on the other hand need to be trademarked and that does costs money. So an episode of The Simpsons is protected by copyright while the brand “The Simpsons” is protected by trademark. Characters can be more complicated and can involve both copyrights and trademarks.
Anway, it’s best to talk to an actual lawyer about .