Why is radio 4 giving him the time of day?

I think a lot of people are getting strictly legal stuff and personal feelings that have nothing to do with the case mixed up. It’s understandable because we all know Jo and we all know Steve. I don’t know who should win this case legally. I really don’t. The law is murky, but based on principle I’d say Jo should win. Most of us are fans of her and understand and respect what she is attempting so say with this case, even if it ends up that she doesn’t win because of legal matters. I’d say a lot of people lose in court when they shouldn’t because of loopholes in the law. She’s not trying to dictate everything that goes out or everything online would already be gone. She’s not trying to make money from this or her book wouldn’t be going to charity, etc.

Legally, I don’t know if Steve is in the right. Emotionally, I can’t feel bad for him or feel bad that he is being bashed in the fandom. I have heard some harsh things, but he really did pull it onto himself. And his points about wizard rock and other fans making money on HP really aren’t cool. Wizard rockers were not personally asked by Jo to stop. Other people were not asked by their ‘idol’, the one who gave us HP not go forward for very legitimate reasons. She didn’t pick on Steve. He did something that wasn’t right. Why would she pick on someone who has been such a big fan for no reason other than to make money or control everything about HP? I’m sure she didn’t want this to blow up, but you’ve got to draw the line somewhere.

And a lot of the reason I think people are siding with Jo on this, legal stuff aside, is because they feel betrayed by Steve. In a big way, it seems as though he’s shown his true colors. He’s always said he’s such a big fan, but he did something directly against Jo’s legit concerns. He’s says it’s not about the money, but he pushed for it anyway. Why? He’s been caught in contradicting lies. By mentioning wizard rock and other fans in his interveiw, it seems as though he’s trying to bring them down too. A childish “that can do it, why can’t I?” Fandom shakes it head at you, Steve, even if you somehow win. Being barely legal is not the same as being morally right.

I think SVA will say anything at this point to get out of this, albeit in a cagier manner than I originally would have given him credit for:

“Other people make money off of Harry Potter.” Oh, so that makes it ok for you to publish a book that is 84% quotes from her work. Everybody can start looting!!!

“Causing trouble was never the intention.” What happened to the SVA who was the bold defender of creativity determined to stop JKR from making a “power grab”? Because that guy sure didn’t sound like he minded a little trouble.

I wish jeremy paxman did the interview. The guy did one with Jo a few years ago, and in any case, he is generally regarded as being direct, tough and he wont let you fob him off with an answer (famous case: he asked the then home secretary (1997) a question 12 times, because the politician kept tryin g to dodge)

@ Michelle S -

I’m sorry but no. As an english major you should know that any source you use in any sort of paper has to be properly quoted. If it’s not you’d get severely penalized for it (which I’m sure you do). That’s what this case is all about.

I’m a student of law and it’s hard to fight through all the messy legal crap. It’s not always fun. But there is a reason that these rules and regulations exist. They protect people and their rights. I’d love to sit here and simply attack Steve and say that I hate him and I think he’s a horrible person and all that. But I don’t. I’m sure Steve is a nice guy. A nice guy who made a bad choice and is paying the consequences for it.

This case is a matter of what is and isn’t legally acceptable when it comes to using Harry Potter in a reference guide. Yes. Steve can take the information in Harry Potter and put it in an A-Z form. But he has to do it in a certain way. That’s just the way the system works. He can’t simply take JKR’s writing and alphabetize it. He can’t add little to no thought of his own and he can’t lack the proper citation.

I honestly urge you all to go back and look at the testimony that Melissa was kind enough to put up for us to look at. Jo herself said that there were companion guides that she was fine with, some that she even liked. It was the way they were done that she didn’t have a problem with.

She doesn’t want to go shutting down Wizard Rock, fan fiction or anything else. That is not her intention. Quite honestly I think the fact that fans love Harry Potter so much to create all of that is an honor to her. But if a fan was to take an entire chapter of HP and put it in song form – yeah she’d have to say something. Because it’s just not legal.

Using her material is fine. Just do it in the correct way.

Sorry, I just realized that my first paragraph made it sound like I think you get penalized all the time Michelle S… I meant I’m sure you knew that you had to quote things and I’m sure you do know how to do it correctly, not that you get in trouble.

Let Steve say what he wants and where he wants. The judge will decide for himself when the time comes. Steve is only further alienating himself from the HP fandom the more he goes against Jo’s wishes. SVA could genuinely believe what he is doing is right. but the more I listen to him speak, the more angry I feel at his betrayal (how I perceive it) to his Floo partners and to Jo.

the matter with you people? Are you on dope?[/Mr. Hand]

Well, that didn’t work, now, did it?

Yea Drew I would love Paxman to do an interview with Steve, he would make Steve’s argument look completely rubbish, and reveal his ineptitude.

It is so very foolish for SVA (star defense witness) and Roger Rapoport (RDR Publishing - the actual guy who is being sued) to go blabbing all over the place while this case is ongoing. They should shut up for the next few weeks while the judge is making his decision.

Do they want the public to think they’re even less professional than we already think they are?

Surely these publicity hounds know they could say something that either (a) hurts their chance of reaching an out of court settlement they can live with or (b) could be heard by the judge who won’t like it© could contradict their sworn testimony and make them liable for perjury charges (d) could be used in evidence against them if the result is appealed?

so ashley mcC, why are you yelling around – run out of arguments? people started calling jkr a ‘copyright hog’ (NYT) and a ‘benefit cheat’ (readers’ posting in the british guardian). those are facts too.

imvho steve van der ark had had too much respect for his genius goddess. so he did not circumscribe as much as he could have done – but, according to wb / jkr he should have put every one of rowling’s neologisms, every word he was indexing in quotation marks! – well pretty soon wb and jo will have to sue main dictionaries all over the world when they will be ‘muggles’ popping up in the oxford dictionary and in the german duden.

now the genius goddess wants to write an ‘encyclopedia’ by herself. well i never found out exactly about the first time when she was speaking of this. what really makes me angry is that she confounds the perspective of a reader with that of an author. whatever you write about your own work, spicing it up by hitherto unpublished material, could never be an encyclopedia. you’d have to invent a new name for that kind of thing.

well writing the encyclopedia-like thing could be a way to part with the 17 years of creating the potterverse. will jkr be able to do this? or will she go on with the series, granddad harry vs another upcoming valdemar? young scorpio’s children maybe…

@ et altera pars

Now i would really, really like you to provide proof that Jo is a ‘benefit cheat’

Just because a radical left wing paper posts a readers comment doesn’t make it true you know.

I really think SVA needs a psychiatrist, stat. He’s delusional. As for the case, I support whoever said we should boycott the book if RDR wins. A real one: - Not buying the book - Changing it if we get it as a gift - Writing a support letter to JKR, printed, signed and sent to her by post - Ditto with a manifest to RDR/SVA explaining the reasons of the boycott - Making flyers with the manifest to hang in bookstores and/or notice boards. (said letter and manifest could be a model available online, available in several languages, for downloading and printing).

i say this again, SVA just wants attention. Hes really enjoying whats happening and that everyone knows who he is etc.

’’i never wanted this to happen’’ that to me is a load of troll dung. How does he have the impudence to say that, when he knows that from the beginning JK didnt want him publishing it – he could have ended this before it started!

I live in sweden, im hoping the book, if it gets printed, wont get here. If it does i will rally a team to spread flyers and things !