Suit Claiming Copyright Infringement Against Bloomsbury Adds J. K. Rowling as Defendant; JKR "Saddened" by Claim
J.K. Rowling
Posted by: Edward
February 17, 2010, 03:07 PM
Bloomberg is reporting that Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling has been added as a defendant in a plagiarism lawsuit against UK Harry Potter book publisher Bloomsbury we first reported last summer. As readers will recall, the suit, filed by the estate of late children's author Adrian Jacobs, claimed that "JK Rowling copied substantial parts of the work of the late Adrian Jacobs, The Adventures of Willy the Wizard-No 1 Livid Land, and that Bloomsbury in selling the books have infringed the Estate's copyright." Today, the estate included J. K. Rowling as a defendant in that suit, after, as the estate claims, "discovering legal cause of action against her within the last six years."
J. K. Rowling has released the following statement through her spokesman:
"I am saddened that yet another claim has been made that I have taken material from another source to write Harry. The fact is I had never heard of the author or the book before the first accusation by those connected to the author’s estate in 2004; I have certainly never read the book. The claims that are made are not only unfounded but absurd and I am disappointed that I, and my U.K. publisher Bloomsbury, are put in a position to have to defend ourselves."
112 Comments
300 Points
Blood suckers. This is really sad. How many people world wide have read the Harry Potter series, like a trillion. And no one has noticed that her book reads like someone elses but a few people who can gain from it. It’s a joke and makes a mockery of the legal system that she even has to acknowledge the accusation.
PS.
hpaddicted: I voted for HP, but why does it keep saying “wait” on the vote-button now? I am flabbergasted that Twilight has taken the lead. I mean… (to quote the Doctor) What?! What?!
I don’t want to be too negative about Twilight, because I’ve only read the first few chapters, and skimmed the rest of the book, but (and this is very on-topic) has anyone read The Vampire Diaries? Yeah, that trilogy from 1991 where a girl falls in love with vampire who doesn’t feed on humans… Oh, let’s leave it. The author of the VD will be quite happy now (but also a bit miffed), I guess, because Twilight has made vampires popular again.
Just to avoid any misunderstanding, btw, I believe that Stephenie Meyer has NOT plagiarized the VD.
I love it when an author is successful when books are sold in their millions, no matter if I like it or not. Simply because I love books and I think everyone should read them :o)
(but HP rules!!!)
Alright, hobbyhorse back to its stable! ’nough said for one evening.
730 Points
I feel so bad for Jo and Bloomsbury. I don’t understand why some people insist on being ridiculous and making life difficult for others.
71 Points
Excuse me, how can you all say that the accusations are unfounded if you are probably not familiar with Mr Jacob’s work? J. K.’s books are very dear to us all but I feel it is unfair to form judgments without any knowledge of the facts
4852 Points
Go JK Rowling! You and Harry Potter are unique!
221 Points
Riddikulus! And the lawsuit becomes instead a ‘suit’ of shaped of papers which fold into paper airplanes and fly off in all directions.
It’s hard to ‘steal’ something when you don’t know it exists…
3777 Points
poor JK no one will bring her down though
she will win
i know it
95 Points
Another case of stupidity on someones part. I just hope that those who are accusing JKR end up having to pay the legal fees of all involved for their timewasting, if not to JKR and Bloomsbury then to a reputable charity of JKR’s choosing.
9916 Points
Oh my god, again? AGAIN?? Will these people never stop?? Why waste time and money on a case YOU KNOW you aren’t going to win. If you’re case failed the first time, what makes you think you’ll win the second time? Leave JK Rowling alone!
1638 Points
njah, some people just can’t admit to themselves that Jo is THE BRAIN!
2113 Points
leave Jo alone!!!!
we love you Jo
1172 Points
rollseyes
This is ridiculous. His case is basically “I wrote about wizard tournaments before you did!”, which is not a case at all. I’m sure this will be dismissed before getting to court.
372 Points
it’s so sad and frustrating. people get upset because they had a similar idea or tried to write a story with a similar basic prompt “a young boy wizard trying to figure out live at school!” or something, and then get upset because they didn’t do well, but she did. i’m sorry you’re upset jo did a better job than you. she did it better and she has had a lot of success, deservedly so. and it’s so missing the point that there is soo much more to the book than “wizard coming of age story” that is such the surface of such a original, complex, beautiful story, that it’s sad people would even begin to think you could make plagiarism claims.
222 Points
ridiculous, people will do anything to ruin her and get money, fight fight fight Jo!
245 Points
Another writer trying to grab attention by suing another author who’s books have sold millions and are very popular.
Blood suckers. This is really sad. How many people world wide have read the Harry Potter series, like a trillion. And no one has noticed that her book reads like someone elses but a few people who can gain from it. It’s a joke and makes a mockery of the legal system that she even has to acknowledge the accusation.