It’s her world, her characters, and no one has the authority to publish any material regarding it without her consent. I agree with Remus Lonno, they seriousely have some nerve…
Is this a joke? O.o
RDR: “We want to see if you’re book is really competition with ours…” _
RDR makes me laugh. They deserve a giant box of V8… you know, to get the brain juices flowing.
Yeah but all those “What Will Happen in Book 7” books, and the “How We Can Relate Harry Potter to God” books all slid past without problems. I realise it’s different when they want to do an encyclopaedia, but she can’t just turn around and say “nobody can write about them becuase it’s my material”, when all those other things are out there.
I dunno, maybe that doesn’t make sense. I’m just trying to see things equally heh.
Linny,
It makes perfect sense. Those other books fall under the “fair use” concept in the law. Essentially, discussion, commentary, analysis, parody are all good. The proposed Lexicon BOOK is not commentary, analyisis, or parody. It brings nothing “new” to the table.
“The longer this goes on, the more stupid RDR looks.”
I am of the opposite opinion.
Is anyone else downloading the letter and getting four blank pages?
I don’t know. It depends on how you define analysis, and what exactly the book contains. If it is simply a list of characters with a short description, then that isn’t much. but if it includes the massive timelines, etc., that Steve and the people over there have done, then that is analysis. Of course, telling Ms. Rowling to let go of her strangle-hold on her own work is a lost cause. I am a huge Rowling fan and all, but she does have flaws, and her inflated sence of ownership is one of them. Sorry.
Yeah but all those “What Will Happen in Book 7” books, and the “How We Can Relate Harry Potter to God” books all slid past without problems. I realise it’s different when they want to do an encyclopaedia, but she can’t just turn around and say “nobody can write about them becuase it’s my material”, when all those other things are out there.
I dunno, maybe that doesn’t make sense. I’m just trying to see things equally heh.
Posted by Linny on February 05, 2008 @ 11:30 AM
I understand your thought, Linny, but it is VERY different.
In the case of the other books (and more importantly the other TYPES of book) you mention, they quote JKR’s work and then use that as the basis for their original interpretation, thoughts, or predictions. In Lexicon’s case, according tothe suit and the evidence so far divulged, they are merely repackaging JKR’s work in a different format. In fact, even the means they are using to do it have been examined and found to be standard approaches. If their indexing/repackaging of the information had been unique, that would have at least lent some credence to their claim of originality.
This is as if someone took a book you wrote, reordered the chapters, did a little compression, and published as their own original work. No new ideas, insights, predictions or discussion. If they had asked your permission to do so (and you had granted it), this would be legal. But to do that without asking, and even more, to do so to make money, is the essence of the case here. That is what constitutes copyright infringement.
Yes, it is a lot more complex than that, but essentially, the issue here is RDR’s Client used JKR’s material as is, without her permission, and claims it as his own. The other essential point is that he is doing this to make money. Most copyright holders, under normal circumstances, would be willing to grant premission to use their material as long as there is no financial gain. But it still requires asking permission before going ahead and using the material.
I hope this helps to explain the difference.
Interesting letter. Tap Tap. Reveal your dark secrets. Nope that didnt work. No insults either. Alas I concur that indeed I see 4 blank pages.
OUTRAGEOUS!!!!! How can a supposed fan (Steve Vander Ark) treat JKR with such disrespect? JKR’s entire Wizarding World (Books 1-7, Textbooks, copious notes & drawings) is HER “Intellectual Product” and NO ONE has the right to steal it! Granted there have been many “unofficial” spectulation and analysis books, but what these people (SVA & RDR) are trying to do is different … this is a direct theft of “Intellectual Product.” The RDR lawyers trying to put Jo on the defensive by asking that she be ordered to reveal her unpublished creations … as Hagrid says, “It’s a scandal!” I will gladly wait for Jo’s official encyclopedia, when she is ready to share it. Hang Tough Jo!
I’m with Jo on this one…
I wouldn’t hand over anything!!! Court order or not!!!
And, if RDR ‘wins’, I suggest a campaign to boycott their publication. They’re not doing themselves any good PR wise.
Wow, they’ve got some nerve…