Britannia, I think he’s just phrasing things in a way to make himself look better. I suspect that the “publisher” and “cover artist” are his friends who printed the books and designed a cover… and selling stuff at conventions is not particularly professional (and I seriously doubt he could sell hundreds of such books at a con, given the sheer number of authorized and unauthorized Star Trek lexicons and reference books that fans probably already have).
Menara, The problem is that while most hardcore fans would probably buy JKR’s lexicon, even if they buy SVA’s first, not all people who would buy this book are hardcore fans. Many casual fans or readers would be satisfied with any lexicon and wouldn’t buy another one. Hell, there are even more people who don’t know the fandom, and don’t see any difference between one HP encyclopaedia and another. Imagine a kid with no income on her own asking for JKR’s lexicon, only to have her mother tell her that she won’t buy it because the kid already has one. There are a great many people like that.
Reading the news and the comments … all I can say is that Rita Skeeter would have a ball with all of this!
There’s another video from the forum captured by my oldest sister found in the Lexicon Steve thread. sdcurtis reposted it in the new incarnation of the lawsuit thread. The whole forum was kind of amusing when we weren’t being told how much of a hardcore fan SVA is. He also had two versions of the presentation as well, and the one in my video is the muggle version. I’m guessing the fan version had things like expeliepilogus.
To Diana Patterson (Jan. 17, 9:31), re: concern that considering concordances not to be “scholarly” will negatively effect anyone going to graduate school: as a graduate of graduate school, making a list is not in and of itself scholarly. Scholarly work involves synthesis of ideas. No respectable school will give you a diploma for making a list. Making a list and analyzing it, discussing it, drawing conclusions from it will get you a degree. It is amply clear from the documents filed in court that the Lexicon book is just a list. It frustrates me to hear scholarship held to such a low standard (a list!) in the cause of defending SVA, who’s clearly not been on the up-and-up since the Lexicon book enterprise began.
To another point…it seems clear that in the case of copyright that the choice of when to defend against infringement and when to let questionable material slip by is entirely up to the rights owners. Whether every instance of infringement or possible infringement is pursued or not doesn’t affect the owner’s rights when the owner does decide to sue. So to questions like the one fab4mom posed (Jan 17 12:47), sometimes people like Roddenberry don’t squash fan works by choice. They’re small, they’re marginally commercial or non-commercial in nature, they are not harmful or minimally harmful, so it’s best/easiest to leave them alone. Vander Ark’s Star Trek encyclopedia was an early effort (it was only of the first season), no one knew it would become a mega-hit and spawn official encyclopedias. So it’s different from the Lexicon book in that sense. As another person said “under the radar” makes a big difference.
Book sales: I can imagine non-HP fan people, especially parents and other relatives, buying the Lexicon book for the HP fan in their lives. And I can imagine this conversation: “I want the Scottish Book, Mom!” “I already bought you that other book about Harry Potter.” “But this is a different book!” “No, I’ll get you something different. Save your money.” I’m sure that’s not Rowling’s biggest concern, but it the argument that the Lexico might cut into sales of Rowling’s isn’t bogus.
@Valerie - I hope SVA/RDR loses, too, for the reasons you mention. I know that Lois McMaster Bujold (one of my favorite authors - pick her up if you’ve never read her) has stated publicly that she won’t read any fan fiction based on her universe or go to certain websites based on her universe because she doesn’t want to be accused of plagerism (spelling?) if she were to produce a story that was similar to a piece of fan fiction. She says she’s getting older and can’t afford lawsuits, and needs every penny from her writing.
Bujold loves her fans, and is accessible to them in various ways, but you can see a little bit of holding back so as to protect her copywrite. Just think how much more careful JKR has to be of her brand, as her brand is worth more in terms of money and reputation (although they’re both wonderful writers who have created fascinating universes - hint, hint - read Bujold if you’ve never done so!).
As another poster pointed out, SVA wasn’t forced to create the Lexicon. Just because he put many many hours of work into it doesn’t mean he gets to profit off of JKR’s universe. Intellectual property rights have to be protected, or what’s the incentive for authors to try to publish their work?
On a lighter note- when all this is over, JKR/WB could always publish the injunction.
No, really! They could call it ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Court’.
Badabum!
Thanks, Melissa, and Leaky for this great summary! I can’t even imagine reading through all this legal mumbo jumbo. Thanks for keeping us all in the know—I appreciate it!
For those who are saying JKR is being greedy and is already rich, please stop. It doesn’t matter how much money she has or how much she stands to gain on any further publications. In fact, take that bit of faulty premise out of the equation entirely. Just because one is rich does not mean everyone has the right to rob her.
Anise Thank you! your right, just because JKR made something of her self does not mean any one has a right to piggy back off her and her work. She built HP from a whim on up, she deserves respect.
I first started listening to Pottercast when I discovered the Canon Conumdrums segment. SVA was always such an insightful contributor and it doesn’t look like he’ll be returning at this point. While I am leaning towards JKR at this point, I still will miss his commentary.
I was surpised to read in his email to the Christopher Little agency that he was contemplating a move to London. Anyone have any information on what that’s all about? Does he have family?
Hear, hear Anise. It bears repeating. The fact that JKR has become rich from writing Harry Potter does not give anyone the right to steal her characters or her fantastic world.
(Whispered)..... Jensenly- we don’t talk about his personal life..apparantly there is no connection between someone doing a 180 in fandom and the same person doing a 180 in real life.
??On a lighter note- when all this is over, JKR/WB could always publish the injunction.
No, really! They could call it ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Court’.
Badabum! Posted by Hinoema on January 18, 2008 @ 12:09 PM??
LOL thank you Hinoema for that Friday afternoon humor that sums everything up quite nicely. Someone put the call in to JKR…
Wow, way to exploit the Floo Network. You should be ashamed Mr Ark. This is the last time I am ever visiting the dyslexicon.
Well done to Mellisa though for condensing what was probably reams of documents.
I think SVA has a serious case of illiusion of grandeur. Yes he has compiled a lot of information from the homepage. Yes he has typed them up and made them into a book. Wow.. great work for a homepage. But what I dont understand is that JKR has for so long expressed her intention to write an encyclopedia and SVA thinks that I would even be remotely tempted to buy a book that I can read online and that will so miss all the extra detail and attention that JKR obviously can put in to her version.
No SVA even if you dont loose (oh and I think you will) in court then you have lost in my book.. where you before all this was a person that held a deal of my respect for your knowledge now I just think you are sad and pathetic.