JKR/WB vs. RDR Books Trial: “Pro Jo” Editorials

In contrast to recent editorials that have slammed J.K. Rowling and WB for pursuing litigation in the case of Steve Vander Ark’s Lexicon book are two editorials in support of the author:

From Natalie Haynes of the Times Online:

“RDR, the publishers of the lexicon, have described it as a “David and Goliath battle”, which would be an accurate metaphor if, instead of smacking Goliath on the kisser with a slingshot, David had rather gone through Goliath’s collected fiction, whacked some choice paragraphs into an order of his choosing, put his own name on the cover, and then tried to make a quick buck off someone else’s work.”

And from Joan Smith of The Independent:

”…the lexicon isn’t an encyclopedia in the normal sense, consisting of facts that are in the public domain, but something parasitic on years of hard work by Rowling. Her present bank balance is irrelevant to the case, except in so far as she is one of the few British authors who can afford to sue when their work is used without permission or payment; in that sense, she is defending the rights of thousands of writers, most of whom don’t earn enough to live on.”