Apr 13
J.K. Rowling Pulls a Muggle’s Move with Punitive Lawsuit
J.K. Rowling Pulls a Muggle’s Move with Punitive Lawsuit
Okay, we’re not what you’d call fans of the Harry Potter books here at Easy Witchcraft. Never mind that the series, which has enjoyed unprecedented marketing and therefore sales, is little more than rehashed old fantasy standbys peppered with embarrassingly awkward proper nouns. We’ll also set aside the disturbingly elitist premise of inherited “magical-ness.’
At Easy Witchcraft, we firmly believe everyone is born with the capacity for magic.
Nevertheless, the popularity of the books are hard to deny, despite the well-worn plots and primitive delineation of good and evil. These features have always sold better than original writing expressing subtle worldviews.
But with all the hype and multi-billion dollar success of her lowest-common-denominator pulp fantasy, J.K. Rowling can’t stand the thought of a single penny slipping from her fingers. This time, she’s pointing her crone’s wand at her own fandom.
The controversy stems from a Harry Potter fact site on which J.K. Rowling herself has often heaped praise in the past. According to this article, Steven Vander Ark is being sued for copyright infringement over the release of Vander Ark’s independently researched lexicology about J.K. Rowling’s books.
Rowling, who once admitted to using Vander Ark’s website to check facts about her own books (!) now can’t bear to have him in the courtroom when she testifies against him. She has had her attorneys secure extra privileges for the celebrity witness to insulate her from her fans.
What makes this move particularly noxious is that it is quite common, especially in the fantasy genre, for fans to produce guides to the complex worlds of their favorite authors.
Fantasy aside, this litigation begs a larger question of copyright, and threatens the very practice of literary criticism itself. What right does an author have to bar annotation of their work? Citation and analysis is an integral part of the academic process. Will Rowling’s next action be against a PhD candidate producing a thesis on her work?
While Rowling and her expensive legal muscle may well be able to rewrite common law to suit her purposes, several hundred years of literary tradition do not support the right to suppress annotation.
Yet another reason for Harry Potter to wake up and try some of the more advanced flavors of magical fiction. You’ll be surprised at how good some of it is once you get your head out of the Hog’s Warts. See some of our favorites below.
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always amazes me how many “people/entities/etc” jump on the magickal bandwagon now that the true perveyors of the craft have made it safe!! where were they during any of the many “burning times” episodes in history….????? not pushing craft, that’s for sure.
good luck to them. what’s the saying “copying is the greatest form of flattery” or some such nonesense.
interesting read though.
thanks
agreed on all counts. it takes great courage to admit that you’re just not into Harry Potter in this culture. in my erstwhile capacity as a book/ multi-media seller, it was quite the task to get through each “Harry Potter night” (i.e. midnight street date roll-out) – and i did 5 IIRC – when yr asked how awesome you think Harry & Rowling & the movies & the dressing-up ad nauseum is, and you… just.. know if you say how you really feel, you might be the one burnt at a stake… but showered with sequins & glue and wrangled into a mock school-boy outfit first..
J.K. Rowling Pulls Muggle’s Move With Punitive Lawsuit…
Great article at Easy Witchcraft-http://www.ezwitchcraft.com/
J.K. Rowling……
I don’t understand her! Isn’t she rich enough? How greedy can a Muggle get?
Hey, methinks she’s going on this just because she’s an evil person.
What would U expect from a Slytherin?
Another excellent article about why SVA should win this lawsuit: http://www.slate.com/id/2181776/
This is a good commentary:
http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/03/02/more-about-that-jk-rowling-lawsuit/
J.K. Rowling Pulls a Muggle’s Move with Punitive Lawsuit ??i can’t understand how could she do that?Thanks for informing us.waiting for your next post like this.
What happened to this case? Does anyone know what the verdict was?
Justice was purchased in this case. Damages were paid in the obscene amount of $6,750 in US Federal Court to JK Rowling and her corporate distributors.
Judge Robert P. Patterson Jr. of United States District Court in Manhattan wrote, “Plaintiffs have shown that the Lexicon copies a sufficient quantity of the Harry Potter series to support a finding of substantial similarity between the Lexicon and Rowling’s novels.”
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I happen to think the Harry Potter series books and movies are well done. And so do billions of other people. I know it doesn’t depict the truth about the craft, its fantasy people. Whats wrong with escaping now and then. I for one like Harry Potter and Rowling, and I’m also a practicing member of the craft. So I can have my cake and eat it too!
Superb blog! I actually am getting heavily into this matter. Do you happen to know where I could find any connected forums? Thanks
Harry Potter my favourite person in books. Maybe I Muggle?
Harry Potter SUCKS
He’s useless & stupid (the entertainment industry doesn’t need him)
Harry Potter is scum, moron & (arrogant) idiot
All his books, films, etc are all shit, crap, rubbish & garbage
He must be removed from this face of this planet
Harry Potter SUCKS!
Wow, it seems like wealth and hypocracy are directly related. Rediculous!
thank you , very good blog.
Really, Rowling needs to tell the truth… I believe she used ideas from Muggles of Rah… I counted more than 4 words. I somehow came cross one book called The Secret of Platform 13… remind me of Platform 9 3/4 and other fantasy stories. And now- rumor of book Willy of Wizard. Come on! I am sure Rowling is greedy now. That is not all… she didn’t let any actors outside UK to be in Harry Potter movies. I tried and they said “Sorry!” It’s just BS period! As far as I knew very few got in even thought they didn’t live inside UK. Then tell me. GREEDY!
I’m a fan of the HP series. I doubt very much that there are many “original” ideas out there. What makes it such a good series is the readability of it – you are drawn into the narrative. Very few books draw me in like this, and I am an avid reader (of adult books lol).
re Severina. As far as non English people not being in her movies? They are British characters. Plus if you are so disparaging of her work, perhaps it’s a good thing you were not allowed to work on set.
4 words? wow. I must be sure that when I write my next article that I do not use a word another author has used.
As far as reports that her ideas were taken from other series, other books use the same historical subject matter as Rowling. For example, The Alchemist rewrites Nicolas Flamel’s history etc, and he features in HP and the Philosopher’s Stone. Perhaps this too is plagiarism?
Grow up people. There is a reason why it is popular. It is well written.
Perhaps Vander Ark should have requested permission before writing the work, as all writers of lexicology should.
Also, given the frequency of fans stalking and harrassing their idols, I’m not at all surprised by her shielding herself. She is not the only writer who wishes to be left alone. Consider Harper Lee.
I can understand why you arent fans here
4 words means copying? I guess they’re right when they say there’s nothing new under the sun…
And if you’re going to argue about Rowling at least get the facts straight. She’s not greedy; if she was she wouldn’t be planning to give the proceeds from her planned encyclopedia to charity.
Well Rowling did write her own books and any encyclopedia about her creation should be green-lighted by her though it does seem rather mean-spirited when the HP books have made millions.
agreed on all counts. it takes great courage to admit that you’re just not into Harry Potter in this culture. in my erstwhile capacity as a book/ multi-media seller, it was quite the task to get through each “Harry Potter night” (i.e. midnight street date roll-out) – and i did 5 IIRC – when yr asked how awesome you think Harry & Rowling & the movies & the dressing-up ad nauseum is, and you… just.. know if you say how you really feel, you might be the one burnt at a stake… but showered with sequins & glue and wrangled into a mock school-boy outfit first..
What’s Happening i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I have found It absolutely helpful and it has helped me out loads. I hope to contribute & help other users like its aided me. Good job.
It is a big change in life.And if you’re going to argue about Rowling at least get the facts straight. She’s not greedy; if she was she wouldn’t be planning to give the proceeds from her planned encyclopedia to charity.
Really I don’t like Harry Potter, it’s useless..people need original information to increase their knowledge…Nice blog!