J.K. Rowling goes to court

[jademg]

J. K. Rowling goes to court

I love JK and her books, and the lexicon is an awesome internet presence, but I kinda feel like she's in the right here. I don't understand any other reason to publish the lexicon other than to make money. All the information is free on the web. Why publish? Especially since the material IS hers to begin with. I think it

Comments

[mtsbspidey]

while i do think that JKR is right about him trying to sell stuff she wrote...i think she's mistaken when she says that it will hurt sales of her eventual encyclopedia (which she didn't in the linked article...but i've read it in other ones about the case)...many people will buy her's that won't buy vander ark's...everyone who buys vander ark's will also buy her's

[snowpuppies]

everyone who buys vander ark's will also buy her's

not true.

I, for one, will buy Vander Ark's if it gets published, but will not, under any circumstances, buy JKR's. I don't want to know any more 'extra bits' that she's been doleing out, and her 'encyclopedia' promises to be full of them.

[missnanna]

I fear you might never get an HP encyclopedia then... I believe the chances of RDR winning are slim to none, bordering on none.

[snowpuppies]

I fear you might never get an HP encyclopedia then...

I'm ok with that.

[_smallworld]

I agree with JK. An article I read last night about it talked about how she loves the lexicon, and has written about it on her website. She said that she wouldn't have objected about the book if it was the discussions and user content instead of her material rearranged. It also basically said that SVA knew not to publish it until RDR came along and said 'no it isn't'. He basically got duped.

[ceeceeblack]

I agree completely with you. I've been reading about this from the start and it has just gotten more and more ridiculous on SVA's part. He said he was writing this for those children who couldn't afford a computer in poor countries. My mouth fell open when I read that bit. LOL

I side with JKR. This is her intellectual property. She's been more than fair with all of us in fandom. She's never bothered anyone who wrote fanfiction, never stopped us from having sites dedicated to her work. I think SVA is a danger to fandom. He certainly isn't helping us.

I read an article that said he had asked her if he could collaborate on the encyclopedia with her. The answer was No. Once he received the no....he went full steam ahead and decided he'd publish his own (read: copy her material) version.

Tolkien and his estate have been able to hold on to the rights to his intellectual property for years. Why should it be any different for JKR?

[fairest1]

Agreed. The lexicon, as a website, was helpful in ensuring that any fan of the series who was having trouble remembering something from the books, either for fanfic or a debate or just some niggling question that entered their mind, could look it up easily instead of having to go through the series with fine-toothed combs. It didn't infringe on copyright, because it made it clear that it was all JKR's stuff and that they weren't making any profit on it.

Publishing crosses a line, and belatedly makes me wonder about the morality of the X-Files encyclopedia I bought nearly a decade back.

[mellyg14]

I want to start by saying that I practice IP law, as well as a little bit of publishing

[earlylight]

interesting... good input

[jezzifishie]

I think part of the problem is that SVA has plagiarised Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts as well. http://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/new-york/nysdce/1:2007cv09667/315790/36/13.html

The link compares SVA's lexicon with QTTA and FB.

[lanie_lou]

You can't copyright ideas but you can copyright unpublished materials. I am fairly sure JKR has documentation of preexisting materials prior to creation of HPL that can be used to assert copyright.