Dismissal Requested for Copyright Infringement Case Against Bloomsbury, J. K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling
Posted by: Edward
July 29, 2010, 01:36 PM
As readers will recall, last February the estate of the late Adrian Jacobs added Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling to a lawsuit against UK Potter publisher Bloomsbury, charging copyright infringement of a 1987 work The Adventures of Willy the Wizard-No 1 Livid Land. The lawsuit, which Ms Rowling related she was "saddened" by, claims the author "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."
Legal representatives for Ms Rowling continued to refute the claims on before the High Court in London on Wednesday, where they petitioned for the case to be dismissed before trial.
The Telegraph reports:
Ms Rowling "did not copy the claimants work and there are no grounds for thinking otherwise", the Financial Times reported him as saying. Mr Baldwin said the books were widely different and claimed it was fanciful to suggest Harry Potter was based on Willy The Wizard.
"We do not hold back – we say the allegations are a disgrace ... and should never have been made," he told Mr Justice Kitchin, who has been asked to give summary judgment on whether the claim should proceed to trial.
Mr Baldwin told the court that Willy the Wizard “was very, very badly written” and alleged the claimants’ website described it as "almost unreadable".
Many thanks, Erna!
52 Comments
29 Points
Yeah, some people see a selfish chance at self-gain and they act on it.
5610 Points
Thisjust pisses me off sooooooooooooooo bad!! I want to scream and kick and throw a huge fit!! Bluuh This is so stupid and selfish.It better be dismissed!! We love Jo and we know that she didn’t copy anything!!<3
75561 Points
The request for dismissal should be granted!!
123 Points
stupid! she came up with harry potter and besides there are TONS! of books about wizards!
365 Points
People are greedy because they think they can smell blood in the water when it comes to famous, rich people. In order to save face they are likely to pay the person off instead of weathering the bad press that may come with a public lawsuit.
27 Points
They are so stupid!!! How can they think that Jk Rowling copied something of that stupid book??
They are just asking for attention and they want some money!!! I hate them I really want them dead.
27 Points
They are so stupid!!! How can they think that Jk Rowling copied something of that stupid book??
They are just asking for attention and they want some money!!! I hate them I really want them dead.
340 Points
Willy the Wizard???? What the heck?!?!? Harry Potter all the way!!!!!! :D
993 Points
That’s just sad… :(
140 Points
JKR did not copy anything. I HOPE THEY TEAR THAT “AUTHOR” APART IN COURT. Foe making such ridiculous claims!
140 Points
JKR did not copy anything. I HOPE THEY TEAR THAT “AUTHOR” APART IN COURT. Foe making such ridiculous claims!
236 Points
Umm.. guys… The author is dead so he can’t possibly just want more money or power. It’s probably his publishers.
Umm.. guys… The author is dead so he can’t possibly just want more money or power. It’s probably his publishers.I hope the dismissal is granted and everything forgotten.
Umm.. guys… The author is dead so he can’t possibly just want more money or power. It’s probably his publishers.I hope the dismissal is granted and everything forgotten.I think that it sucks though that Mr Baldwin had to sink so low as to say that Willy the Wizard was badly written. Geee.
3423 Points
If anyone thought that they could take on Jo and her side-kicks and win…obviously are delusional because a) they cant win when they have nothing to back them up…which they dont— their claims are terrible and complete bull and b) Jo’s unbeatable….plain and simple! Nobody messes with Super Woman! :)
236 Points
Man… My post got weird. :O
1061 Points
It is badly written, its more than bad its terrible! The extracts i’ve just read make no sense what so ever, people, things and places are introduced very quickly, never explained and then thrown aside in the next sentence. Nothing is discribed in any detail and the names of places and people are ridiculous. Maybe its the extracts they’ve chosen to show, but there doesn’t seem to be any flow in the story.
The fact that the publishers he approached told him to re-write it because they thought it didn’t make any sense, (he rufused and published it himself) shows what a joke this really is!
I think the claim of similarities between the books is stupid, if you’re going to invent a world where wizards live then you’re going to need to give them everything to live a believeable life, hospitals, money, schools, government, transport, shops, music, sport, prisons, food, drinks, animals and all the other things that Jkrowling took the time to create so beautifully and so completely.
Hopefully this case will be put where it belongs, in the bin with all the other greedy money grabbers!
Yeah, some people see a selfish chance at self-gain and they act on it.