Why is JK Rowling trying to block the Harry Potter encyclopedia?
Here’s the back story:
JK Rowling is to appear in a US court in an attempt to prevent RDR Books from publishing an unauthorised encyclopaedia covering the Harry Potter books and movies. She claims that 2,034 of the 2,437 entries violate her intellectual properties.
The lawyer for RDR books counters that the lexicon is a new work which is a companion to the Harry Potter series rather than a substitute for it.
Rowling states that making money from her work is against the spirit of Harry Potter. She is planning to write a lexicon with the proceeds to go to charity and says this unauthorised publication will undermine her book and thus hurt the charities. - source
Here’s my take on this. I think that JK Rowling is being WILDLY inappropriate here. For instance, how many Star Wars lexicons, encyclopedias, and general fan books are out there? And let me tell you, George Lucas and crew have a pretty tight hold on the intellectual properties of anything to do with Star Wars. For her to do this really gives her a black eye in the Harry Potter community. What do you think?
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POSTED IN: JK Rowling
3 opinions for Why is JK Rowling trying to block the Harry Potter encyclopedia?
Meghan
Mar 29, 2008 at 19:48
I think that she has a right to try and get rid of this. She had already stated that she was going to make an encyclopedia and it is the world that she created so she has the right. It is close to an infringement of the copywrite on the books and movies. She has full right to this.
MariaD
Jul 13, 2008 at 08:05
This is an interesting development about JK Rowling. I just found out about it through your blog. Enycyclopedias cover a wide range of subjects and Harry Potter has gained popularity to be included in such general information books. The purpose of encyclopedias is to serve as a good source of information.
If JK Rowling pursues putting a stop to it, this would render disservice to the purpose of encyclopedias. Same thing goes with how a dictionary comes up. I understand where JK Rowling is coming from, with her intellectual property rights and all. But maybe, if she wants, there could be an arrangement made between her and the encyclopedia.
Just look at it from a general point of view: If every subject covered on encyclopedias would put a hold on to having anything published about their topic, it does not serve the purpose of what an encyclopedia is about. Just about everything is covered with dictionary/encyclopedia, to cite as an example.
Meghan
Jul 13, 2008 at 21:51
Well yes, encyclopedias are really important, but JK Rowling has already said she is making one, so this other person doesnt have the right to make one and sell it, because it is her right to make one first. I wouldn’t get it either if she wasnt making one, but she is so she deserves to release it first as her own, not as whoever is trying to do this. They have no right to take her hard work and try and make a profit from it.
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