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Are you kidding me? What ever did Steve expect to happen when he decided to plagiarize Jo’s writing? I am sorry to say this, but I think the mere fact that Steve appears to be unaware of the wrongs that were taken here verges on delusional thinking. Anyone who writes anything for a living, or even attended school in this country, knows that to take people’s words is plagiarism, period. Secondly, if you take people’s words there is this system used for that, which happens to be called “citing”. Furthermore, there are books that teach individuals how to cite properly; basic MLA formats. The only thing I can surmise from this is that Steve lacks self awareness. He also appears to be at a deficit to understand that the impact of his choices and actions. In addition those choices, he is clearly not taking responsibility for what he has done and therefore protests by placing blame on others rather than to looking closer to home. This is typical disassociation from self and interpersonal behaviors. It’s shameful that he is trying to pull others into his misery.

Wow. That is all I have to say. Wu needs to get his facts straight before making such heinous comments. I can believe that a reporter did this, I mean especially after the pottercast where they gave many specific examples of other reporters doing this, as well as in my own expierence seeing articles such as these, but every time i see something like this, well I get a little angry, and for good reason. Melissa, that reporter has NO right to insult you and offend you in any way. I am just appalled!!!

that is a TERRIBLE analogy

Jo acts like athena, in a way…but, the problem is Jo didn’t invent WRITING, she invented Harry Potter. . . If, in the myth, Athena made and developed a very specialized method of weaving, the analogy would make sense and the woman declared she was the best at it, MAYBE, MAYBE that coudl hold osme water…

but, as Wu is comparing something so general as weaving, to something as specific as 7 books out of the BILLIONS of pieces of work (including term papers, thesis papers, book reports etc.) done by various authors it doesn’t make sense…

HOLY *^$@#&&% what the HELL is GOING through Steve’s head! Literally! If any of you listen to Mugglecast, there was a question posed as to whether they would ignore Steve if he went, for example, to a conference. They said they would accept him back and not let the friendship go out with the bathwater…I sure as HELL hope that they chang thir minds after this TRASH that he said about Melissa, an /OPITIME/ of the perfect Harry Potter fan.

I’m buying your book Melissa done and done. Steve, if you’re reading this, I would say some extremely mean things right now. But I won’t.

He makes me SICK.

I think that what this “journalist” wrote is absolutely disgusting. Yet sadly, he is just another in a long line of “journalists” who instead of reporting the truth are only interested in selling a story. I really wish that someone would tell the story how it really is and not take a side, but mention the fact that an incredibly large percent of the fandom is with Jo. The worst part of the article is what Steve said about Melissa. He should have the maturity that she has and not make this personal. Not once has Melissa said anything rude about Steve only that she disagrees with him, which so many of us fans do and we all have the right to do! Its sad that Steve is getting all this press and is trying to make people believe that he is the victim when its his own fault to begin with. I understand if RDR made him go through with the lawsuit, but they didn’t force him to be a jerk. I just hope that Melissa doesn’t take his stupidity to heart. Like many others posted, I’m with you Melissa.

The point my friends is that Potter is JO’S WORLD – Melissa has Jo’s blessing as the creator, Steve did not. Simple.

“I can’t believe he actually said “Many readers dislike the epilogue in the final book; Vander Ark urged them to disregard it entirely, and even invented his own spell to do so (“expelliepilogus”). “Jo’s quit, she’s done,” he told the audience. “We’re taking over now.”

I’m sitting here with my mouth open in disbelief. That is so rude. If I had of been there I would have started booing him. Posted by Rachel * on May 05, 2008 @ 10:07 PM “

Rachel, this is a case of the context being schewed. i can assure you, the few hundred people in attendance most certainly did not boo. do you honestly not remember the fan reaction to the epiloge at all? Jo is done, fanficers are not bound by what’s in the epiloge, we can ignore it. we can draw pairings that are not epiloge compliant. fandom creations no longer hinge on what Jo says. the books are done, they are the canon, but we are fanon and that, we own.

you know, when i start to see people cut and pasting various quotes together, i start to question what i’m reading. this is the guy who quoted Melissa saying what Sue actually said.

Melissa, Don’t listen to this trash! We’re all in this with you! Vander Ark better get his facts straight, since the more he turns on you and the other members of the HP community, the greater his exile becomes. We Support YOU! Don’t listen to this guy!

I can’t wait ‘till Friday when this whole thing would (hopefully) be over. We could gladly say goodbye to Steve and RDR.

“You have to be fair and remember that we all probably frequented his site in its hey-day. Don’t kick him while he’s down” -This is true, I have been to the Lexicon site. But that was then. And those that are “kicking” the man, are not doing so because he is down, my thinking is they are “kicking” him because he did something sufficiently stupid. Well, more than a few things now.

“He put a lot of work into what he did.” -This is also true, Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V is very difficult indeed. -Again, true. But I don’t think that God (that is to say God Himself, and not JKR) didn’t put a copyright stamp on the Earth. Unless He’s going to come back at the endtimes and Zap the map-makers by proving there is a small copyright stamp at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean or something.

"An atlas maker didn’t create the world, but he can still describe it and catalogue everything in it."

“but don’t turn Steve into a villain just because in this one thing he’s in a disagreement with your favorite author.” - The fact that it is Jo he’s up against doesn’t help, but I am against him for the fact that he is breaking law(s) here.

Melissa is writing (has written) a book about the fans of Harry Potter, not a guide to the Harry Potter books. To compare the two without pointing out the distinction is just plain wrong.

But what I find more revolting is the willingness to stir the pot of anger and hurt feelings just to make the story spicier. It saddens me that we have become addicted as a society to this kind of yellow journalism. Honestly . . does knowing that Steve’s feelings are hurt (and by whom) offer any new insite into the situation? Methinks nay.

If we all riot, should I bring the torches or pitchforks? Just asking! SVA, you had no right to go against JKR or Melissa! Long live HP!

Wow… the arrogance is just staggering!!! Just because Melissa didnt spit in the face of the author, and actually got the OK that her work was NOT copyright infringement, and suddenly she’s on the receiving end of his drivel?

He’s all upset that he’s on the outs. Poor boy. Steve, you cant steel from Santa and expect the elves not to get pissed! And you know you stole from her!! You know it! You proved it when you made sure that your contract exempted you from the lawsuit if she sued (which you knew she would). if you were really worried about the fandom and your position in it, that clause in your contract would have stipulated that the book be stopped if she sued, not just your butt would be protected. What an a$$.

Thanks, Melissa, for not going about things the way Steve did: for doing things the right way.

Hmm, In my above post, one of the quotes somehow is now out of place. The “Atlas Maker” quote goes between “indeed” and “-Again..” in the 2nd paragraph.

Personally, I think that SVA is a little pathetic. And that is exactly why the press is, as a whole, taking his side. It’s easier to write the story and take the side of the former Trekkie, 50 year old, non-economically secure guy, and never mind that “the little guy” has attempted to break copyright law by printing a catalogue of Rowling quotes, which, though thorough, could have been accomplished with a simple cut and paste, and show no research. SVA knows his status and is using it for publicity by boo-hoo-ing that his Idol didn’t smile at him in the court where she was suing him. His blow at Melissa was not even well thought out, of course J.K. Rowling is going to be friendlier to the person who is testifying for her and is writing their book with her permission. I don’t really find any of this that surprising. What is surprising is that the New Yorker did not block this article from being published in their Magazine. Overly-dramatized comparisons to completely irrelevant Greek myths (Rowling is suing him for the Encyclopedia, not the his claim in Toronto), shoddily researched facts, and a partisanship that completely disregards reason, One of the most excellent periodicals around appears to have lowered its standards.

Personally, I think that SVA is a little pathetic. And that is exactly why the press is, as a whole, taking his side. It’s easier to write the story and take the side of the former Trekkie, 50 year old, non-economically secure guy, and never mind that “the little guy” has attempted to break copyright law by printing a catalogue of Rowling quotes, which, though thorough, could have been accomplished with a simple cut and paste, and show no research. SVA knows his status and is using it for publicity by boo-hoo-ing that his Idol didn’t smile at him in the court where she was suing him. His blow at Melissa was not even well thought out, of course J.K. Rowling is going to be friendlier to the person who is testifying for her and is writing their book with her permission. I don’t really find any of this that surprising. What is surprising is that the New Yorker did not block this article from being published in their Magazine. Overly-dramatized comparisons to completely irrelevant Greek myths (Rowling is suing him for the Encyclopedia, not the his claim in Toronto), shoddily researched facts, and a partisanship that completely disregards reason, One of the most excellent periodicals around appears to have lowered its standards.

Personally, I think that SVA is a little pathetic. And that is exactly why the press is, as a whole, taking his side. It’s easier to write the story and take the side of the former Trekkie, 50 year old, non-economically secure guy, and never mind that “the little guy” has attempted to break copyright law by printing a catalogue of Rowling quotes, which, though thorough, could have been accomplished with a simple cut and paste, and show no research. SVA knows his status and is using it for publicity by boo-hoo-ing that his Idol didn’t smile at him in the court where she was suing him. His blow at Melissa was not even well thought out, of course J.K. Rowling is going to be friendlier to the person who is testifying for her and is writing their book with her permission. I don’t really find any of this that surprising. What is surprising is that the New Yorker did not block this article from being published in their Magazine. Overly-dramatized comparisons to completely irrelevant Greek myths (Rowling is suing him for the Encyclopedia, not the his claim in Toronto), shoddily researched facts, and a partisanship that completely disregards reason, One of the most excellent periodicals around appears to have lowered its standards.

Personally, I think that SVA is a little pathetic. And that is exactly why the press is, as a whole, taking his side. It’s easier to write the story and take the side of the former Trekkie, 50 year old, non-economically secure guy, and never mind that “the little guy” has attempted to break copyright law by printing a catalogue of Rowling quotes, which, though thorough, could have been accomplished with a simple cut and paste, and show no research. SVA knows his status and is using it for publicity by boo-hoo-ing that his Idol didn’t smile at him in the court where she was suing him. His blow at Melissa was not even well thought out, of course J.K. Rowling is going to be friendlier to the person who is testifying for her and is writing their book with her permission. I don’t really find any of this that surprising. What is surprising is that the New Yorker did not block this article from being published in their Magazine. Overly-dramatized comparisons to completely irrelevant Greek myths (Rowling is suing him for the Encyclopedia, not the his claim in Toronto), shoddily researched facts, and a partisanship that completely disregards reason, One of the most excellent periodicals around appears to have lowered its standards.

Personally, I think that SVA is a little pathetic. And that is exactly why the press is, as a whole, taking his side. It’s easier to write the story and take the side of the former Trekkie, 50 year old, non-economically secure guy, and never mind that “the little guy” has attempted to break copyright law by printing a catalogue of Rowling quotes, which, though thorough, could have been accomplished with a simple cut and paste, and show no research. SVA knows his status and is using it for publicity by boo-hoo-ing that his Idol didn’t smile at him in the court where she was suing him. His blow at Melissa was not even well thought out, of course J.K. Rowling is going to be friendlier to the person who is testifying for her and is writing their book with her permission. I don’t really find any of this that surprising. What is surprising is that the New Yorker did not block this article from being published in their Magazine. Overly-dramatized comparisons to completely irrelevant Greek myths (Rowling is suing him for the Encyclopedia, not the his claim in Toronto), shoddily researched facts, and a partisanship that completely disregards reason, One of the most excellent periodicals around appears to have lowered its standards.

Sorry about the extra posts, my computer is acting up strangely.

Wow, I cannot even believe Steve has sunk this low! I’ve just been staring at the screen, trying to figure out how to best express my outrage, but I’m nearly speechless. Melissa, I’m sending lots of love and support your way – I know this whole situation has been extremely difficult for you, but I hope that knowing you’ve got the Leaky community behind you makes it just a little bit easier. ♥