Truemors
J.K. Rowling, one of the richest people on the planet, and definitely the richest author I've ever heard of, is preparing for a court fight over a proposed encyclopedia of her works that makes her feel "violated." This brawl puzzles me, because so many other popular series have had encyclopedias and concordances published.
Even more puzzling: she once was a fan of compiler Steven Vander Ark's website.
I have the very first Star Trek concordance, signed by some of the cast. I also have encyclopedias of other favorite series, and I don't understand how this proposed encyclopedia differs from the others or why it should be stopped.
Then again, I suppose that's what the courtroom battle is about.
Author J.K. 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 copyrights.The showdown between Rowling and the fan, Steven Vander Ark, is scheduled to last most of the week in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
Rowling is scheduled to testify Monday in a trial that is sure to generate huge interest among Harry Potter fans and the public. Her lawyer has arranged with the judge to have a private security guard for Rowling in the courtroom and for the author to spend breaks in the seclusion of a jury room—away from any die-hard Potter fans in attendance.
The trial comes eight months after Rowling published her seventh and final book in the widely popular Harry Potter series. The books have been published in 64 languages, sold more than 400 million copies and spawned a film franchise that has pulled in $4.5 billion at the worldwide box office.
Rowling brought the lawsuit last year against Vander Ark's publisher, RDR Books, to stop publication of the "Harry Potter Lexicon."
Rowling is actually a big fan of the Harry Potter Lexicon Web site that Vander Ark runs. But she draws the line when it comes to publishing the book and charging $24.95. She also says it fails to include any of the commentary and discussion that enrich the Web site and calls it "nothing more than a rearrangement" of her own material.
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