Harry Potter and the Alleged Copyright Infringements
Written by a single mother over many hours in cafes throughout the city of Edinburgh, the Harry Potter series has gone on to become aglobal success, inspiring blockbuster movies, countless pages of fan-fiction,and various toys and knock-offs. Naturally,it has also inspired hours of litigation over copyright- and other more surprising issues as well. Glenn Duker, lawyer and solicitor, takes a brief tour of all things Harry Potter - and litigation.
Rowling Vs Vander Ark Steven Vander Ark was a serious Harry Potter fan who painstakingly constructed an exhaustive online reference guide called the Harry Potter Lexicon. Although Vander Ark and Rowling initially enjoyed a friendly relationship, it cooled considerably upon the revelation that US-based publisher, RDR books, intended to publish a print version of the website. In the resulting court case, Rowling argued that the book would harm the chances of her own intended encyclopedia about the series, the proceeds of which were to be donated to charity. Also, when RDR Books argued that their use of her work was allowed in the standard of "reasonable use" for a reference guide, Rowling countered the book exceeded such limits, appropriating her writing wholesale and failing to add "transformative" material that added to cultural appreciation and knowledge of the originals. In the end, the judge sided with Rowling, and Vander Ark was reduced to tears in the courtroom when asked about the impact of the case on his life. The Shoe on the Other Foot However, Rowling has also been on the other side of an intellectual propertystoush - and on more than one occasion. In 2011, the estate of the late Adrian Jacobs intended to launch a $15 million lawsuit against her for a perceived infringement of his book "Willy the Wizard." However, attempts to carry this out in both the US and the UK ultimately failed. American author Nancy Stouffer also accused Rowling of stealing ideas; this mainly centeredaround her