Rowling and the courtroom of muggles the new york times. We recently pointed to neil gaimans comments on jk rowlings lawsuit against the author of the harry potter lexicon guidebook. The reverse spell effect, known as priori incantatum. Oct 31, 2007 the 400page book the harry potter lexicon due to be released by rdr books on november 28 in the united states had inappropriately referenced rowlings fictional characters and. Welcome to the the harry potter lexicon the most compleat and amazing reference to the wonderful world of harry potter est. Claire field wasnt the only owner of a harry potter fan site that butted heads with j. Now, slashdot points us to the even more brilliant dissection of the. Court battle over harry potter lexicon books the guardian. Rowling against rdr books, which intended to publish a book of the popular website. Perhaps the most wellknown potter infringement claim involves the harry potter lexicon.
Rowling and warner brothers filed a lawsuit against rdr books over the publication of vander arks lexicon in book form. Back in 2000, when dynamic websites were reserved for it professionals, the harry potter fandom started to flood the internet with a lot of different pages. Apr 14, 2008 the crux of the debate was whether or not the harry potter lexicon, based on a similarly named fan site created by steven vander ark, was wholesale theft of 17 years of my hard work, as ms. Others, like mundungus fletcher, manage to be interesting and complicated even though they only pop in and out of the story occasionally. Rowling won her lawsuit against michiganbased publisher rdr books on monday, blocking the publication of the harry potter lexicon by.
The defendant was a super fan of jk rowling who created an online guide to the harry potter universe, called the harry potter lexicon. Apr 14, 2008 but when rdr books, a small publisher in muskegon, mich. Im told that reclusive author of the 7volume harry potter series of books, j. Rowling feels like her words were stolen, said lawyer dan shallman. Rowling won her lawsuit against michiganbased publisher rdr books on monday, blocking the publication of the harry potter lexicon by steven vander ark. Sep 08, 2008 although her plans to publish a harry potter companion book for the benefit of charity is a noble aim, her lawsuit challenges the most basic principles of fair use, andaccording to some critics. Rowling making comment at the time of this writing that shes fearing the worst for law with her lawsuit against eerie harry potter lookalike steve vander ark and his harry potter lexicon book, i almost fell over even though i was seated. The book the harry potter lexicon was due to be released november 28, 2007. Rdr is scheduled to release its harry potter lexicon book, based on a web site of the. Some, like severus snape, are complex and mysterious. For eight years steven vander ark has published the harry potter lexicon, a website cataloguing the details of the fictional world created by jk rowling in her seven harry potter books. Rowling launches lawsuit against harry potter lexicon cbc. In 2007 rowling and warner bros, which made the potter films, sued the publishers of the harry potter lexicon, an encyclopaedia of the series. Rowling to testify against harry potter lexicon the new.
The harry potter lexicon is back the rowling library. Why jk rowling won the harry potter lexicon lawsuit. News, opinion and commentary general interest book distributors cases book publishing. This books purpose is to serve as an encyclopaedia counterpart to the harry potter series. Rowling, lexicon and oz by orson scott card april 24, 2008 can you believe that j. The wizarding world is filled with memorable characters.
The lawsuit was heard in a new york court on april 14, 2008. In 2007, rdr books was planning to turn the harry potter lexicon website into an encyclopediatype book that would list the spells, potions, creatures, and characters featured in the novels despite having previously praised the site and its owner, steve vander ark, rowling said that she had. Booksigning tour for harry potter lexicon begins in north. Harry potter author suing to stop publication of harry. Feb 18, 2010 in 2007 rowling and warner bros, which made the potter films, sued the publishers of the harry potter lexicon, an encyclopaedia of the series. Harry potter author wins suit over lexicon book a u. Sep 09, 2008 for seven years, a harry potter fanatic worked on a guidebook to j. Harry potter and the copyright infringement claims mugglenet. Jan 10, 2008 but things turned sour in the fall, when the harry potter lexicon web site announced plans to publish a book version of its fanwritten guide to the potter world. We are on day 2 of the rowlingwb vs rdr books lawsuit. For seven years, a harry potter fanatic worked on a guidebook to j. A west michigan publisher being sued by the author of the wildly popular harry potter books took the stand in new york today during a trial that included dramatic testimony from j. Shes joined a lawsuit to stop the publication of a fanwritten reference book based on a.
Did harry potter really steal all these story ideas. A similar timeline of events was adopted by warner bros. Rowling, who previously had a good relationship with lexicon owner steve vander ark, reiterated on her website that she plans to write. But when rdr books, a small publisher in muskegon, mich. Rowling is suing rdr books to stop publication of steven vander arks harry potter lexicon. Rdr is scheduled to release its harry potter lexicon book, based on a web site of the same name, this month in britain and the u. Dec 07, 2016 books inspired by the harry potter series are, for the most part, easy to spot. Rowling launches lawsuit against harry potter lexicon a publisher in michigan has halted plans to release a harry potter encyclopedia after author j. He and rdr books planned a print version of the lexicon but potter and warner brothers, the producers of the films of the books, took the publishers to court to. Judge waves gavel, says avada kedavra to harry potter lexicon. Rowling and warner bros in their lawsuit against rdr books unauthorized harry potter lexicon. Books inspired by the harry potter series are, for the most part, easy to spot. A judge ruled in her favor after an individual was set to publish a harry potter encyclopedia.
Rowling wins lawsuit against potter lexicon the new york times. You could easily find websites with news, forums and chats to discuss the latest theories but there was a special fansite out there. Mar 11, 2008 the harry potter lexicon dates back to 1999, when steve vander ark, an american fan of the books, decided to set up a reference website. The 400page book the harry potter lexicon due to be released by rdr books on november 28 in the united states had inappropriately referenced rowlings fictional characters and. Rowling is suing a small publisher because she claims their 10,000copy edition of harry potter lexicon, a book about rowlings hugely successful novel series, is just a rearrangement of her own material. Ive never met him, but he seems like a nice guy and diehard hp fan from his pottercast canon conundrum segments, various interviews, and his posts on the lexicon.
Rowlings creation and the readers need to plumb the depths of the individual books or the entire saga. Rowling wins lawsuit against potter lexicon the new york. Apr 15, 2008 we are on day 2 of the rowlingwb vs rdr books lawsuit. A shortened and modified version of the lexicon was. Congratulations to the compiler steve vander ark and his associates.
Jul 22, 2016 back in 2000, when dynamic websites were reserved for it professionals, the harry potter fandom started to flood the internet with a lot of different pages. Rowling and the maker of the harry potter films are suing a small publisher in michigan over its plans to release a book version of a popular web site dedicated to. Their stories span the decades, the whole saga and beyond. Furthermore, the book captures the spirit and sparkle of the harry potter series and canon in a way that is faithful to j. There was so much information that it was hard to keep. The crux of the debate was whether or not the harry potter lexicon, based on a similarly named fan site created by steven vander ark, was wholesale theft of 17 years of my hard work, as ms. More on the rowling lawsuit updated the daily prophet. District court judge has ruled against publication of the book the harry potter lexicon, written by. First off, i still remain a fan of the harry potter books and movies and my love for the characters, plot details. Rowling takes a dim view of independently authored reference books, it seems. Rowling sues to stop publication of fanwritten potter. A harry potter junkie should be able to write a book analyzing the lexicon in the novels. The author of the harry potter books is suing a publisher over its forthcoming book, the harry potter lexicon, an encyclopedia of terminology from the beloved series. But things turned sour in the fall, when the harry potter lexicon web site announced plans to publish a book version of its fanwritten guide to the potter world.
Rowling testified before a packed courtroom in a lawsuit to block publication of a harry potter lexicon, telling a judge the book amounts to. An unauthorized guide to harry potter fiction and related materials, which would include far more commentary than the original. Legal disputes over the harry potter series wikipedia. The harry potter lexicon dates back to 1999, when steve vander ark, an american fan of the books, decided to set up a reference website. Orson scott card rips apart jk rowling for the lexicon lawsuit. Rowling sues to stop harry potter lexicon business. An unathorized guide to harry potter fiction and related materials, by steve vander ark of grand rapids.
Rowling is eager to tell a judge this week that one of her biggest fans is in fantasyland if he believes a harry potter encyclopedia he plans to publish does not violate her s. Federal judge robert patterson jr ruled today in favor of j. Rowling in her suit against the harry potter lexicon and rdr books. Rowling argued, or a structured reference work with additional insights, commentary and analysis, as the lawyer for rdr books, the michigan. In december 2008, rdr books dropped its appeal, and instead decided to release another unauthorized harry potter guide the lexicon. Sep 09, 2008 harry potter author wins suit over lexicon book a u. May 02, 2008 we recently pointed to neil gaimans comments on jk rowlings lawsuit against the author of the harry potter lexicon guidebook. This is probably the most famous lawsuit ever brought by an author against a fan, and it serves as an example of what can happen when fan work starts to become independently profitable. The book will be released friday and vander ark will begin his booksigning. Harry potter lexicon author breaks down in court gothamist. A west michigan publisher being sued by the author of the wildly popular harry potter books took the stand in new york today during a trial that included. When i saw this article on the leaky cauldron about steve vander ark of the harry potter lexicon being sued, along with his publisher, by warner bros. Rowlings bestselling series, but in the end, a federal judge ruled on monday, his book was too close to the work he admired.
Although her plans to publish a harry potter companion book for the benefit of charity is a noble aim, her lawsuit challenges the most basic principles of fair use, andaccording to some critics. In 2007, a lawsuit was filed and a temporary injunction sought by warner bros. After rowling sued the writer of the harry potter lexicon, a guidebook to the potterverse for infringement, card wrote that he feels like rowling stole the plot of his. District court judge has ruled against publication of the book the harry potter lexicon, written by steven vander ark and based on his. Apr 14, 2008 rowling is suing rdr books to stop publication of steven vander arks harry potter lexicon. The lexicon is credited as creating one of the first timelines of all events occurring in the harry potter universe. Rowling, is flying from scotland to nyc in order to testify monday when the trial starts in the lawsuit. Rowling is suing a small publisher because she claims their 10,000copy edition of the harry potter lexicon, a book about rowlings hugely successful novel series, is just a rearrangement of her own material.
617 899 508 104 704 613 162 737 1008 7 896 155 1075 383 1116 803 255 41 1130 1079 729 464 390 434 178 41 1151 1222 1453 992 911 281 1458 128 1224 767 954 641 264 892 1094 260 670 540 282 256 303