The Chicago Tribune speaks to Roger Rapoport of RDR Books, the publishing company that is involved in a legal battle against JK Rowling and Warner Brothers over the rights to publish a book version of the HP Lexicon website.
Not a Potter fan, Mr. Rapoport was unfamiliar with the Lexicon website until he saw a newspaper profile on Vander Ark in July 2007.
“I couldn’t understand why this book hadn’t been published yet,” he said.
Rapoport is reportedly unworried about the outcome of the trial, having been told by his attorneys that “no court has ever ruled that the writer of a fictional work is the only person who can write about that book.”
According to the article, Rapoport’s has received free legal help from Stanford University Law School’s Fair Use Project. Donations to his Right to Write Foundation (formed, according to its mission statement, as “an educational repository and clearinghouse for the 21st century freedom of expression and “fair use” issues writers and publishers encounter when moving between the worlds of print, internet, film, the fine arts and new media”) have further offset costs.
Rapoport was asked about JKR’s statement from the stand of “I never ever once wanted to stop Mr. Vander Ark from doing his own guide, never ever. Do your book, but, please, change it so it does not take as much of my work.”
””That opportunity was never presented to us,” he said, his eyes flashing with anger. “The only thing they said [in the lawyer letters and pretrial discussions] was: ‘Will you stop the book?’”
Tribune article author Patrick Reardon also speaks to Steve Vander Ark, creator of the Lexicon site and main author of the Lexicon book.
“During a telephone interview from London, where he moved earlier this year to write other Potter-related books, Vander Ark said he was “devastated” when Rowling’s lawsuit was filed against RDR books, even though he wasn’t named as a defendant. “We certainly had no intention of doing something which would hurt her feelings,” Vander Ark said.”
The article reports that Vander Ark has received “nasty emails” since the lawsuit became public.
“It was disheartening how quickly people were more than happy to turn on me,” Vander Ark said.
SVA is a fool, whenhe did not get jo’s blessing for the print versionof the lexicon he should have stopped righht then and there as he should have known they would have never given him permission to do so, and he had to know going forward with this case was gonna make Jo’s fans agry at him. I willnot by the lexicon if published illwait for Jo’s “Scottish book” after all that is the ultimate way we can show our displeasure if it does get published
Vander Ark is being outrageous. I remember reading the articles when all this started and the whole point was that JKR’s publishers were requesting a copy of the book Steve wanted to publish, so they could see if it was similar to what JKR wanted to write—and Steve’s group refused repeatedly to let them see it. When he says “We were never given the opportunity” that is outright bull-poo! There were weeks and weeks of articles on Mugglenet/Leaky about the request that the book simply be changed but they kept refusing!!
Honestly I won’t feel in the least bit sorry if Steve gets shut down completely. His comments are selfish, outright lies, and completely full of himself. It’s like he’s taking the stance of some poor innocent by-stander who’s being unlawfully beaten back with a stick whilst he’s really claiming the genius of JKR for his own monetary gains! She donates to good causes and writes for medical research or children’s schools. Steve writes so he can buy stupid ties and claim himself as some sort equal to JKR. I’m really beyond angry with this man. Beyond angry—no words can describe it.
JKR: we’re behind you 100% and if somehow the book comes out rest assured I’ll never even set my hands upon it.
Rachezee: Well, I really have no idea but when I first saw him on some HP tv special thing, my first impression was that he was haughty and had a stupid tie/ow tie thing. So he’ll forever in my mind be the man with the stupid tie, although I didn’t have anything against him then—I do now, and I feel no shame in saying STUPID TIE. huffs
But my point in that juvenile name calling was just that we never hear of him doing any spectacular good for the world with the money he earns from ripping JKR off-so his whooole argument against her is purely because he wants more money and fame for himself. If he really cared about the fandom he would want JKR to do the encyclopedia and not himself. I mean, what can he give us that JKR can’t? Honestly-he’s got a head as big Uncle Vernon! The results of what he’s trying to do will be to publish a bunch of stuff we already know, hinder the fandom from getting what they really want which is JKR’s encyclopedia, and earn himself a bunch of money for writing down the exact same things that JKR already wrote.
JKR’s goals are to give us all the tidbits of her life’s work that we crave, bring some sort of finality to HER creation, and she donates tons and tons of money gladly to wonderful charities around the world.
I can’t even see how Steve can possibly think the fandom would back him on this….he’s blinded by his own greed and pride.
I can’t believe Steve was so disheartened when people turned on him. It would be one thing, if he had signed a contract with RDR, and then, when he found out JKR was against it, tried to get out of the deal in respect of JKR’s wishes. He did not do that. He has made comments in support of RDR’s decision, so of course fans are going to side with the JKR, and not someone trying to make money by going against her wishes and using her work, a lot of which is direct quotations, for this book, especially knowing now that JKR is planning on writing “The Scottish Book” which would be very similar. After JKR has been so supportive of fan sites and other companion books in the past, I cant believe that Steve would honestly think that JKR winning the case would stop all that. She has said she is not against any of that. This leads me to believe that for Steve, it is more about making a buck (good luck with that, now that nobody will want to buy a book that was published against the wishes of JKR), which is sad. He has made his choices, so he should not be shocked by the fan’s response.
if this gets published, no one buy it