Rowling, WB file suit over companion book
Rowling, WB file suit over companion book J.K. Rowling updated the News Section of her official site earlier today saying that she could not approve of "companion books" or "encyclopedias" to her series.

The Harry Potter author and Warner Bros. filed suit in a Manhattan Court today against Harry Potter Lexicon owner Steve Vander Ark and several defendants for publishing "an unofficial encyclopedic companion to the 'Harry Potter' series," saying it "infringes copyright and attempts to cash in on the successful brand." The Harry Potter Lexicon is slated to be released by RDR Books on November 28.

Roger Rapoport, the publisher and owner of RDR Books said the companion novel "only promotes the sale of J.K. Rowling's work and we intend to publish on schedule as planned."

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Posted by Micah on Oct 31st | 718 Comments
Visitor Comments
Posted by HPfanx14 Nov 1st 2007

haha sweet lidietta. and i guess if its like 9 were you live rob, then be on at 3. cuz that is 6 where me and becky are. but i gotta go everyone, lunch time! ttyl at the Harry Potter Day meeting! :]


Posted by rob1007 Nov 1st 2007

i can only speack english! and i might have soccer practice during the meeting!


Posted by lidietta Nov 1st 2007

soorry, but my italian beauty is wanted by someone else..... lol, by homework!!!!! baci =)


Posted by lilbecky8 Nov 1st 2007

bye kayla!!! awe thats too bad rob, i am sure we will be online for a few hours anyways, so check in after practice!


Posted by rob1007 Nov 1st 2007

actually i might not have it and id have to be on at 5 to take part in the meeting


Posted by rob1007 Nov 1st 2007

gtg too BYE!!


Posted by lilbecky8 Nov 1st 2007

everyone left me! *sniff sniff* *tear*


Posted by LaurenB Nov 1st 2007

I like her as much as the next person, but it seems like every time you turn around she's suing somebody. *sigh*


Posted by Die_Zimtzicke Nov 1st 2007

Watch your arses, guys, As soon as Jo doesn't need them anymore, she'll kick them. This is cruel. Steve was writing that long before Jo ever announced she was writing her own encyclopedia. And she could hand the money the books would make over to charity and never even miss it. She's only charitable when it's someone elses money, I guess. And I have no reason to love the Lexicon...I got tossed off of there because of their stupid policy on comments about DD being gay. But I support Steve 100% in this. Unless her encyclopedia has nothing in it but what Steve's already got, he should fight this.


Posted by Reason_before_Passion Nov 1st 2007

That's low, Jo.


Posted by Neptune Nov 1st 2007

I've lost faith in HP fans. I can't believe people are blindly siding with Steve on this. He gathered JKR's work and organized it, he create it, and now he's trying to sell it off as his work. Jo never gave him the ok to do this. She's allowed him to have a free, non profit website, but she never gave him permission to sell her work in his format. He is steeling her work and she has every right to protect it. You people need to got to Leaky and read the entire artical and suit. It's very telling. Jo has been asking them to stop this since Sept 12th and they have been rude and refused to do so, so she has no choice but to file a suit.


Posted by rob1007 Nov 1st 2007

why the heck is wb suing it??!!!!! they just do the movies!! they should not take part in any aspect of the books! if someone was making a film like hp. then that would be a different story!


Posted by Neptune Nov 1st 2007

I've lost faith in HP fans. I can't believe people are blindly siding with Steve on this. He gathered JKR's work and organized it, he Didn't create it, and now he's trying to sell it off as his work. Jo never gave him the ok to do this. She's allowed him to have a free, non profit website, but she never gave him permission to sell her work in his format. He is steeling her work and she has every right to protect it. You people need to go to Leaky and read the entire artical and suit. It's very telling. Jo has been asking them to stop this since Sept 12th and they have been rude and refused to do so, so she has no choice but to file a suit.


Posted by lidietta Nov 1st 2007

hiya!!!! I think jo has lost a little bit of her nice-lady aura for a lot of fans...


Posted by Neptune Nov 1st 2007

Read the actual law suit people....


Posted by rob1007 Nov 1st 2007

hey lidietta


Posted by lidietta Nov 1st 2007

heyy!!!! whats up? r u coming to italy? the girls are nice... hhehe


Posted by rob1007 Nov 1st 2007

lol of course i am!! and im like 20% italian


Posted by rob1007 Nov 1st 2007

helllo?


Posted by lilbecky8 Nov 1st 2007

lidietta had to go. how are you doing?


Posted by felixfelicis888 Nov 1st 2007

HAPPY HARRY POTTER DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Posted by rob1007 Nov 1st 2007

do you live together or something???? im so clueless


Posted by rob1007 Nov 1st 2007

yep HP DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!


Posted by felixfelicis888 Nov 1st 2007

HAPPY HARRY POTTER DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Posted by lilbecky8 Nov 1st 2007

HAPPY HARRY POTTER DAY! no Rob, I live in Michigan. I was talking to Lidietta on MSN messenger. :-)


Posted by hermyclone12 Nov 1st 2007

Can anyone explain to me how this is copyright infringement. i thought that the encylopedia would be regarded as cliffnotes, wouldn't it?


Posted by felixfelicis888 Nov 1st 2007

you know it's funny, a lot of people are like pissed at jo, but they don't even understand the news story. She's not suing the website hp lexicon, just some wannabe guy. Come on guys calm down, I seriously doubt you all know exactly what jk is thinking. I bet she had the encyclopedia idea for years. anyway, HAPPY HARRY POTTER DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Posted by rob1007 Nov 1st 2007

had to eat so...


Posted by britishwannabe Nov 1st 2007

First off, TO THOSE WHO ARE TALKING ALL THIS BOGUS ABOUT JO, SHUT THE HELL UP. I'm an avid Harry Potter fan, but these ARE Jo's characters from HER head and no one can really truly write something about these characters because they hardly know what Jo's thinking. Mugglenet's comment boards lately have been upsetting and a downright discrace.


Posted by 593hp6 Nov 1st 2007

You guys that are against what Jo is doing have to read the article. To put it into a sense to understand use this: PRETEND Warner Bros. made the hp movies their own by making the movies without Jo's consent. That would be wrong!!! Besides her encyclopedia profits are mostly going to charity. So I'm with Jo! : )


Posted by rob1007 Nov 1st 2007

it says the tales of beedle the bard will be punished iin some kind of catoulage


Posted by Annie Nov 1st 2007

I absolutely adore the HPL, but this is going a bit too far. I side with Jo on this one. It's all fine and dandy for them to maintain the website, but why in the world would they publish a book containing the same info? It's obvious that they're just hoping to make money off of this.


Posted by ccunni Nov 1st 2007

Happy Harry Potter Day!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope every cheesecakien knows about our meeting today at 6:00pm Eastern time. We will celebrate harry potter!


Posted by ccunni Nov 1st 2007

GO CHEESECAKIANS LETS ALL REMEMBER WE CELEBRATE AT 6:00PM EST IN THE SECOND POST FROM THE TOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Posted by MissieRipley Nov 1st 2007

I understand all of this but the people who are saying that the Lexicon Encyclopedia would be stupid need to stop, too. Lexicon is THE most resourceful site for Harry Potter. JKR has even said she's used it once in a while when she forgot spell names or little things like that and didn't have time to shuffle through her own notes. While I agree that they shouldn't be publishing a book without permission, they are still a great source. I think Lexicon should have asked first, obviously. Especially since she plans to put out her own encyclopedia in the future. So everyone who is bashing Jo for this needs to stop. If this was my books I would not want someone else to print a book I was planning to make myself some day. She isn't sueing the site, she loves the site. She's just trying to stop them from printing the book. Mugglenet's books are one thing, they are just fan opinions, but this encyclopedia would be a much bigger deal. So everyone needs to stop being bias and just step back and look at the legal issues as well as just the basic fact that Lexicon was going to print JKR's material without her permission and in a format that she had already announced she planned to make some time in the future.


Posted by AcidPops33 Nov 1st 2007

???? Huh?!?! I missed the memo guys!! EST... Okay so I'm on the East Coast so that's me...


Posted by nevilles_soulmate Nov 1st 2007

I'm a bit confused. Are they suing them for having the website 'The Harry Potter Lexicon'? Because I didn't think they made a profit off of that, and Jo even said that she's used it before. Anyone know?


Posted by AcidPops33 Nov 1st 2007

Hey nevilles_s -- She's not suing them for making the site; she's just trying to stop them from publishing an encyclopedia like the one she's coming out with. They're not suing anyone actually! :D Anyways, I g2g. Be back laters...


Posted by lilbecky8 Nov 1st 2007

Hiya Acidpops!! heres the memo CHEESECAKIANS: MEET AT 6:00 PM EST (eastern standard time) AT THE SECOND NEWS STORY ON NOVEMBER 1st. WE SHALL CELEBRATE HARRY POTTER DAY THERE. PASS ON THE WORD TO ALL CHEESECAKIANS!!!!!!!!!!!! !!! Also nevilles_soulmate, no Jo is NOT suing the website. She is suing the publishing company/owner of HP Lexicon over the BOOK they want to print. It has nothing to do with the website except that the guy who runs it is tyring to get the book printed.


Posted by Neptune Nov 1st 2007

No, not the lexicon website, the lexicon book which is being sold for $25, which is illegal to do. READ THE ARTICAL PEOPLE.


Posted by member_of_SPEW Nov 1st 2007

I'm disappointed it had to get to a lawsuit; if JKR asked them to stop, they should have. That goes beyond being a fan to just being in it for the money. And if JKR sued them without asking them to stop first, I'm even more disappointed in her. But that's not likely.


Posted by lilbecky8 Nov 1st 2007

Alright Cheesecakians, I will be back on at 6p to celebrate HARRY POTTER DAY!!! See you all then!!!!


Posted by nevilles_soulmate Nov 1st 2007

Thanks. That makes sense. I can't believe they'd try to publish an actual book containing her information.


Posted by member_of_SPEW Nov 1st 2007

aw, Cheesecakians Harry Potter Day at 6 and I can't be here ... :_( :_( :_( :_( :_( :_( :_( :_( :_( :_(


Posted by REMiiSAHMAZiNGx4 Nov 1st 2007

Aw poor spew how was your hallowwenn??


Posted by member_of_SPEW Nov 1st 2007

ooh it was great! I got to wear my costume to school and I loved it! it was actually comfortable. I had sewed myself a robe with blue lining and sewn a Ravenclaw patch to it, and I had a wand I made and an old witch's hat and a butterbeer cap necklace and a copy of the Quibbler! (I bet you can't guess who I was ... lol) and everybody loved my costume. And then I wasn't strictly supposed to go around trick-or-treating but I ended up walking around with my little sister since it's my last year at home and all... so it was good. How was yours?


Posted by REMiiSAHMAZiNGx4 Nov 1st 2007

Well as you know i was left at my house all night so i watched Breakfast at Tiffinays. Its such a great movie!!


Posted by Dobbysgirl13 Nov 1st 2007

Well it is her books!!! I mean, if she's witing an encyclopedia then it wouldn't b the same if someone else already did!!


Posted by felixfelicis888 Nov 1st 2007

Alright guys I'm here early. But i'm not gonna talk too much right now. I'm busy. See yall at 6!!!!!!


Posted by member_of_SPEW Nov 1st 2007

well I'm glad you had a good time ... I haven't heard of that. Hi felix!




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