Bloody JK Rowling

POSTED BY: wytchcroft
UPDATED: Saturday, May 17, 2008 06:58
VIEWED: 5397
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WYTCHCROFT

Monday, April 14, 2008 12:36 PM

yes it's a rare Wytch rant!:)

has anyone being paying attention to her court case??
i have. here's the latest...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7346093.stm

Bloody Rowling is taking the writer of some (probably not very good - but so what!)
'unauthorised guide to harry potter' book to court for copyright infringement and for potentially damaging the perceived quality of her own product...

if she wins - then bloody great books like 'finding serenity', 'serenity found', 'so say we all', Keith Topping's Buffy guide etc etc will be under threat - as will sundry unauthorised fan web-sites.

at the very least - publishers will think twice about new works that may provoke litigation - 'Joe Fan's Guide To DollHouse' etc whatever.

not to mention her own fan-base.

Rock on JK - proving your place in the pantheon yet again.

..................
tetchy? guess i'm on the mend then huh?:)

EVILDINOSAUR

Monday, April 14, 2008 1:17 PM

Sorry but I think she has every right to sue. Harry Potter is her property, she created it, therefore she's entitled to a piece of everything related to it. I would want nothing less if I created something that became a huge success.

I have no problem with fan made stuff, but permission from the creator has to be acquired first for anything you intend to sell. For stuff like fan websites though that's not a problem, there's no money changing hands so it's no big deal.

"Haha, mine is an evil laugh."

HIXIE129

Monday, April 14, 2008 1:34 PM

I agree with evilD.. All these unauthorized books and websites try to make money off of others creativity..

EMBERS

Monday, April 14, 2008 2:44 PM

this encyclopedia, like critical analysis, and scholarly treatise, have traditionally NOT been considered to be copyright infringement historically (and I expect the judge to rule that way this time too)

this is NOT fan fiction, the writer is not using her characters to tell a story, simply to compile her stories and terms and characters....

She is suing because she wants to put out her own encyclopedia but thing book does not prevent her from doing that, there is no real conflict because you know the second they publish the 'official' Harry Potter Encyclopedia it will sell like hot cakes (or worse, Harry Potter books).

New Firefly fans should check this out: http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=15816

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Tuesday, April 15, 2008 6:55 AM

She ENDORSED the website. She praised the website. She used the website and it's data compilation for her own continued work.
He had not yet written the book. There was not yet a book to satisfy the fans. She had not published a book, and apparently was not interested until she saw the popularity of books like Serenity: The Offical Companion.
he had her endorsing his work of compiling her work, he took off from his job to produce the book. Only after all this work, her publisher said he must forfeit all his work and time and investment.
Seems she was decidedly unclear, and she is willing to let him suffer for it. She could at least have paid him as a consultant and let him return to his life, instead of just pulling the rug out from under him.She does reserve then rights of her work. But she was also very unclear about the exact data and work she was endorsing and praising.
he had no indication that she was going to reverse course and denounce the same work she had been praising.

CHAPTERANDVERSE

Tuesday, April 15, 2008 10:46 AM

I think the problem here is that this is an encyclopedia rather than a fanfic, general overview with comment on characters and themes, or a book on the fandom.
Yes, Rowling supported the Lexicon Web site, because it was a Free resource for fans.
The encyclopedia will make a profit for Steve Van der Ark, who, although he has certainly worked very hard an created an impressive site, is presenting information on Rowling's world without contributing anything new to it.
I think that if this court case finds in favor of the Lexicon and its publisher and this encyclopedia is published then there will be a problem for other fan sites, books, etc. because authors will know that if they do not send cease and desist orders to fan sites, their copyright will be infringed.
And thats when sites and fans will have a problem.

WYTCHCROFT

Wednesday, April 16, 2008 12:24 PM

gotta agree with Jewel and Chapter here.

also - the guide book guy is not likely to make THAT much profit. Rowling is filthy rich.
And for someone whose literary uh,influences, are pretty obvious - there's also a little pot and kettle here.

also - i have seen children and young adults encouraged into writing using Potter fan fic as the medium. people who would otherwise struggle with literacy. so, again - grr arrgh!

CYBERSNARK

Wednesday, April 16, 2008 1:52 PM

I'm kinda on Rowling's side here.

Creating a FREE resource is a very different animal than publishing something FOR PROFIT. It doesn't matter how much profit, it's a legal issue.

And I'm sure that "Finding Serenity" and all other pop-culture reference books were carefully authorized by the creators and/or rights-holders. That doesn't appear to have been the case here; if it was (and Rowling was given input as is her right), this wouldn't be an issue.

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

WYTCHCROFT

Thursday, April 17, 2008 9:44 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cybersnark:
I'm kinda on Rowling's side here.

And I'm sure that "Finding Serenity" and all other pop-culture reference books were carefully authorized by the creators and/or rights-holders.
-----

nope, they weren't. edited by jane espenson et al but no - the books have COMPLETELY UNAUTHORISED in big friendly letters on the cover.

so do many useful reference works etc that i have and use for different fandoms and media.

the repurcussive damage this case could cause (and its petty nature) is what angers me the most... since it far outweighs the alleged offense.

you really think paramount or Lucas have lost so very much over unauthorised star trek/wars material? i surely don't.

..........................

"I'm having a Grateful Dead moment - Bootleg the puppy!" Joss Whedon.

BORIS

Saturday, April 19, 2008 5:44 AM

I doubt Jane Espenson would have been so rude as to proceed with gathering and publishing the written pieces in Serenity Found and Finding Serenity, if Joss and co had a problem with it. Besides, these books are not a Marketing venture. Jk is suing because someone is trying to make money off her (albeit none too original) ideas. It feels Acutely crappy when you create something, and someone sees how successful it is, copies a significant part of it and offers it up for sale. (yes this has happened to me, and it sucks when someone steals your baby, camouflages it a little,and rides your coat tails to gain financial success.It particularly sucks, when their version of it is of lesser quality, because people still refer their complaints to you as the original creator.Of course I am offering this from the point of view of a low income earner that does not create things specifically to make money...JK is on a differnt plane, but I imagine it still feels shitty even if you are a mega billionaire.

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