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Book Nook provides readers with insights into the world of books. Vick Mickunas takes you into the center of the publishing world with the latest book buzz, book reviews, and exclusive chats with authors..Home > Blogs > Book Nook > Archives > 2008 > February > 09 > Entry
J.K. Rowling is a big meanie!
J.K. Rowling is flexing her million dollar muscles to protect Harry Potter’s good name. Or, so she might claim. According to an article in the New York Times, the creator of the mega-best-selling Harry Potter series is clamping down on just about anybody who wants to write a book related to her creation.
Here’s the scoop:
February 9, 2008
TALKING BUSINESS
A Tight Grip Can Choke Creativity
By JOE NOCERA
On Friday, a lawyer named Anthony Falzone filed his side’s first big brief in the case of Warner Bros. Entertainment and J. K. Rowling v. RDR Books. Mr. Falzone is employed by Stanford Law School, where he heads up the Fair Use Project, which was founded several years ago by Lawrence Lessig, perhaps the law school’s best-known professor. Mr. Falzone and the other lawyers at the Fair Use Project are siding with the defendant, RDR Books, a small book publisher based in Muskegon, Mich. As you can see from the titans who have brought the suit, RDR Books needs all the legal firepower it can muster.
As you can probably also see, the case revolves around Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling, of course, is the creator of the Harry Potter series — “one of the most successful writers the world has ever known,” crowed Neil Blair of the Christopher Little Literary Agency, which represents her. Warner Brothers holds the license to the Harry Potter movies. Of the two plaintiffs, though, Ms. Rowling appears to be the one driving the litigation.
“I feel as though my name and my works have been hijacked, against my wishes, for the personal gain and profit of others and diverted from the charities I intended to benefit,” she said in a declaration to the court.
And what perfidious act of “hijacking” has RDR Books committed? It planned to publish a book by Steven Vander Ark, who maintains a fansite called the Harry Potter Lexicon. The Lexicon publishes Harry Potter essays, finds Harry Potter mistakes, explains Harry Potter terminology, devises Harry Potter timelines and does a thousand other things aimed at people who can’t get enough Harry Potter. It’s a Harry Potter encyclopedia for obsessive fans.
So long as the Lexicon was a free Web site, Ms. Rowling looked kindly upon it. But when Mr. Vander Ark tried to publish part of the Lexicon in book form — and (shudder!) to make a profit — Ms. Rowling put her foot down. She claims that she wants to publish her own encyclopedia someday and donate the proceeds to charity — and a competing book by Mr. Vander Ark would hurt the prospects for her own work.
But more than that, she is essentially claiming that the decision to publish — or even to allow — a Harry Potter encyclopedia is hers alone, since after all, the characters in her books came out of her head. They are her intellectual property. And in her view, no one else can use them without her permission.
“There have been a huge number of companion books that have been published,” Mr. Blair said. “Ninety-nine percent have come to speak to us. In every case they have made changes to ensure compliance. They fall in line.” But, he added: “These guys refused to contact us. They refused to answer any questions. They refused to show us any details.”
They fall in line. There, in that one sentence, lies the reason Mr. Falzone and his colleagues have agreed to help represent RDR Books. And it’s why Mr. Lessig decided to start the Fair Use Project in the first place.”
The article goes on in quite a lot of detail. (To read the entire piece simply click on New York Times in blue at the start of this post).
So, what do you think? Is J.K. Rowling just a big meanie?
Vick Mickunas
Permalink | Comments (11) | Categories: that's what they say
Comments
By victor mickunas
February 19, 2008 10:48 AM | Link to this
So it is OK for JK Rowling to put the squeeze on anybody who tries to write about Harry Potter? Is that what most of you seem to be saying here??By abi
February 14, 2008 3:13 PM | Link to this
Rapaport is looking for some easy and free publicity for his publishing house and book, and he’s succeeded. Stealing by copying an author’s work is still stealing even if you pretend you’re doing it out of principle, and because, anyway, the author is rich. Even the rich have a right to defend their property. That’s all Rowling is doing, and by the way that is what the law insists she has to do to maintain copyright. Rapaport pretends he’s doing it out of principle but only fools wouldn’t see through that one. The whole case is about ego and money. Jo earnt every dime, Rapaport is just using a cheap trick he learnt off Michael Moore whilst he was writing his book on him.By victor mickunas
February 14, 2008 11:35 AM | Link to this
The rich get richer….and that seems to be fine with some of you?By Willow Wysp
February 11, 2008 8:11 AM | Link to this
It is her right to do so. If you spent the time to create something and worked hard on writing seven books, you would also have the right to say that you don’t want anyone to do anything with it and profit from it. Being someone who is attempting to become a writer, I know that’s how I would feel about it. It’s the people who are say she’s being greedy who need to get a life. It’s her “property” and she can do what she wants with that “property”, and no one has the right to tell her what she can and can’t do with it.By Pete
February 10, 2008 5:55 PM | Link to this
So Lance says BRAVO! to “J.K.” for being petulant, greedy, obnoxious & best of all rich! It’s pathetic to see such praise for greed and excess yet, unhappily too frequently seen these days. Now, this overbearing rock star is whining about cops messing up crime scenes. But Lance will be thrilled to know she’s donated a million to educate the poor csi cops. Whatever happened to grace and dignity?By Gayla
February 10, 2008 5:53 PM | Link to this
If Mr. Vander Ark is so clever ~ why doesn’t he spend the majority of his waking hours creating his own characters?! JKR has just blown my mind with this whole world of intellectual fantasy SHE has created. JKR is not a meanie but Vander Ark is a weanie.By Mark Gisleson
February 10, 2008 3:13 PM | Link to this
Maybe someday we’ll have a “fair use” copyright exemption that posits that any works grossing over one billion dollars are fair play for fan fiction and commentary. To date I think only Star Trek, Star Wars and Harry Potter would qualify, and by some astonishing quirk, they’re the only three fictional worlds that have huge numbers of fans with blogs and websites.By Matt
February 9, 2008 8:20 PM | Link to this
Why wouldn’t she have control over her creations? If she doesn’t want to permit the box using her characters, she definetly has the right.By Barbara Delaney
February 9, 2008 7:42 PM | Link to this
I have every sympathy for artists who seek to protect the integrity of their creations, whether it’s musicians, authors, or any art form. But when a work is tremendously popular, as the Harry Potter series certainly is, it’s inevitable people will hop on board. But to use words like “they fall in line” seems to demonstrate that Ms. Rowling wishes to exert an unreasonable amount of control over her creation. And it’s inconceivable to me to imagine that if she wrote her own encyclopedia of Potter no one would buy it because of this prior book. That woman could sell a million copies of her grocery lists.By Pete
February 9, 2008 7:13 PM | Link to this
How much money does this faux author need? Apparently quite a bit.How dare anyone have the temerity to gaze upon her empire or tread upon her terrain. Get a life lady.By lance
February 9, 2008 7:13 PM | Link to this
No, JK has every right to do this. BRAVO!