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Rowling sues Potter fan web site

By rediff Entertainment Bureau
April 15, 2008 13:51 IST

British author J K Rowling may have finished with her best-selling Harry Potter series but the wizard boy hasn't left her yet.

 

She claimed that her copyright was being violated by a fan, who wanted to publish an encyclopedia on Harry Potter. She was seen at a Manhattan courthouse on April 14 for her lawsuit.

 

Rowling filed the lawsuit against Steven Vander Ark's publisher RDR Books to stop the publication of Harry Potter Lexicon. The hearing is scheduled to take place at the end of the week.

 

The trial comes eight months after Rowling published her seventh and final book in the widely popular Harry Potter series.

 

Interestingly, Rowling is a fan of the Harry Potter Lexicon web

site that Vander Ark runs. But she drew the line when it came to publishing the book and charging $24.95 for a copy. However, she claimed that the web site was 'nothing more than a rearrangement' of her own material.

 

David Saul Hammer, a lawyer for RDR Books, said the publisher will not challenge Rowling's claim. But the judge will decide whether the use of the material was legal because it was used for some greater purpose, such as a scholarly pursuit.

 

The affection does not seem to be mutual any more. In court on Friday, Hammer said Rowling's lawyers did not want Vander Ark in the courtroom while she testified.

 

Photograph: Getty Images

rediff Entertainment Bureau

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