Dmitry Yemets, author of “Tanya Grotter and the Magical Double Bass” who is being sued for stealing Rowling’s ideas, has accused Rowling of “a blatant attempt to eliminate competition and establish a monopoly in children’s fantasy writing” reports BBC News. “I greatly respect Jan Rowling, but I am not violating her author’s rights,” said Yemets. …read more!

Scholastic has revised a controversial program that sells books directly to students after retailers had complained they were losing business. (From Hoover’s Online.)

This is Local London reports that “Warner Brothers has chosen the stretch of Green Lanes between Fox Lane and Bourne Hill, as well as Hedge Lane, to film scenes” on April 1 and 2, from 6 pm to midnight.

Chris Rankin talks about his latest role on the Sheringham (UK) stage, acting in the play A Taste of Honey (Thanks to Zoe for the link.)

Ananova reports that a legal battle has started in an Amsterdam court in a case filed by JK Rowling against a Russian writer alleged to have stolen her ideas.

According to the Edinburgh Evening News Online, David Gordon’s birth is welcomed not only by Rowling, her family and her fans, but also “by bookies, who had been taking bets on a name for the baby. Internet bookies Blue Square offered odds of 33 to 1 that the child would be a boy named Harry. …read more!

In the next issue of TV and Satelite week”, there’s an article about Robbie Coltrane. In it he says, about the HP movies, ‘I’ve signed up for four. … I’m curious about the fifth book, though I do know what happens to Hagrid because JK Rowling told me before we shot the first film.’ Thanks, …read more!

Librarian & Information Science News ran a small profile on Nimbus – 2003 today, and highlighted the fact that the event will take place only a few weeks after the release of OoTP.

IMDB reports that a strike on the PoA film set is very likely; around 90 percent of the construction crew is due to walk out this Friday after voting to strike over a pay row. Quote: “The construction personnel were demanding an eight per cent pay rise – but movie-makers Warner Bros allegedly refused. Now …read more!

Newsround reports that Baby David was born late on on Sunday, March 23. No word yet on whether the magical quill at Hogwarts put his name down for the class starting in 2014.