Poor guy, I'm kinda sorry for him! He seems like a nice guy.. But he shouldn't have done it, Jo is right, she created this world that we all love, and she has all the rights!

Alright, this is how I see it. Please read it before you flame me like an ignorant idiot. I do believe that Jo is an extremely strong woman who has gone through countless hardships to reach her current success (that she deserves), but it's Van Der Ark's RIGHT to publish his own condensed version. C'mon, he has a great and very helpful site that Jo honored herself with an award. He's spent a really long time working hard to open up the millions of layers under the world of Harry Potter so that fans could fully appreciate Jo's many more years of hard work. What, you're all American hypocrites saying that he should be denied that right. Might as well BURN all of the books that supplement to the Harry Potter reading experience. Hey! That includes Mugglenet's 'What Will Happen in Book 7'! Because they are ripping off Jo by leeching off her franchise, right? That said, OF COURSE Jo's book is going to sell 600 million more copies than Van Der Ark's version. Jo's encyclopedia will also contain much more information not contained in the books while Van Der Ark can only take the information from the first seven books (and a few interviews). I really don't see what the big problem is to get so teary-eyed about it.

OK now, WTF!!!! This is all wrong! It's potter v. potter! can they just find a deal or somthing! But just end this!

I feel really bad for Steve. I think it's horrible that a lot of people in this fandom are acting so immature. Calling Steve names and turning him into the devil is neither right nor fair. I think Steve made only one mistake and that was getting into an agreement with RDR Books. I doubt he has very much control of anything now that RDR has decided to publish the Lexicon. I don't think RDR should win this case, but I also believe Steve is just in over his head and doesn't deserve to be burned at the stake for it.

fudge HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I realize that Steve is a huge fan of harry potter and I think it was fine that he started the lexicon site and even that he wanted to publish the lexicon. But once Jo said no to this, I think he crossed the line by pursuing it and at this point he is looking to make money, because otherwise he could have given up and just kept his fansite, or written something that would analyze and critique the books rather than resummarizing. I realize he is a die-hard fan like all of us, but I think he is going aout it the wrong way. I feel sorry for him that he let it get this far.

I do not feel sorry for Vander Ark one bit. That he breaks down on the stand perhaps indicates regret on Vander Ark

I'm still trying to let in sink in my mind that he is 50! I just thought he was younger, like in his early 20's. I know there older Harry Potter fans out there, but I just didn't expect that. Oops.

Uhm...what happened to my comment?? I do not feel sorry for Vander Ark one bit. That he breaks down on the stand perhaps indicates regret on Vander Ark

Steve Van Der Ark has taken this wayyyyy to far. I don't feel an ounce of remorse for him and I don't understand why anyone else should. Maybe he was searching for his 15 minutes of fame? Well he got it. And now he's more or less hated by the HP community. It is Jo's world and her ideas, what kind of blubbering, greedy, money-loving person takes something THIS far??? He has no chance. AND he even calls himself a fan. Well, Steve, this is the lowest of the low....

OKay I see where Jo is coming from but seriously, is it really taht big of a deal to let him publish his book? in either this article or the one above it it says that the book would simply be a print version of the Lexicon. It's already online so why does it matter if they want to make a hard copy of it? also, jo says she is worried about sales of her "scottish book" but does she really need the money? also her book would be full of extra info (anyone hear the potttercast episode?) so I don't really think she would be losing that much money, if she lost any at all i'm probably going to get comments after this saying i'm not a true harry potter fan but i am. i just have a different point of view. so, i say chill a little Jo. if jo's problem with all this is that the money won't be going to charity then make a deal with him promising to donate a certian portion of it to charity. duh... compromise

Steve, I disagree with you still trying to publish the encylopedia (even though it's not all you anymore), because it's stupid and unfair and illegal and really stupid, but it must be hard since all of us are siding with Jo over you. However, once part of the fandom, always part of the fandom, and I know that I will still use hp-lexicon.org if I need a reference. This whole thing will blow over sooner or later, and then we will all remember all of the valuable things that you have contributed to the fandom and how much of a good person you are, for the most part. You made a bad choice. So what? In life and in the Harry Potter series, second chances are the greatest gifts you can give. Don't cry, Steve!

Really, I don't see how anyone can support him. Okay, okay, he spent the past 9 years of his life dedicated to his website. Boo hoo! I'm sure he got tons of money from the ads on there too. Yes, there's no denying he's worked hard, but he's not the genius behind the writing. He has Jo to thank for his job. I find it very ungrateful that he's doing this to her now. They should ask him if he could imagine his life without Harry Potter, because it's only thanks to Jo it's in all our lives (thank goodness). Their HER stories, he just reorganized HER material into the encyclopedia. I'll give you that it's probably RDR that 's behind this. Maybe that's why he was so emotional, but still, really, he should stop this nonsense! What a way to repay a woman who provided you with income these past years!

I feel for both of them. Having J.K. Rowling disappointed in you, as a fan, would be horribly hard. But having your work practically stolen from you, as an author, is also horribly hard. So, I am leaning towards Jo, but not completely scorning Steve on this case.

While I welcome and enjoy unofficial Harry Potter analysis books, I think The Lexicon encyclopaedia book shouldn't go ahead at all if it's going to compromise Jo writing her own encyclopaedia. I feel sorry for both of them, but I think I speak for all HP fans when I saw if we are going to have an encyclopaedia it should be from Jo and Jo alone, I'd much rather have one from the author than a website. Like I said I can understand an analysis book unofficially being published because it offers the fans opinions and essays on the themes within the books, this book would compromise of information and facts TAKEN from the books themselves...The Lexicon do not own HP and therefore should not be allowed to publish a profit-making encyclopaedia of the universe. I think Steve has just got in over his head and I feel truly sorry that this has happened to him, but i'm sure he could have avoided this situation he finds himself in now. I think we all sympathise with Jo, we would not want our life's creation exploited by an outside source!

why do the 2 have to be seperate? why cant jo release her encyclopedia as well as steves? its not like no one is going to buy hers if steves is released.

I agree with Grnd3lW4Ld, they should join togeather and make one big book....though with how hurt feelings are now I really don't see that happening....and I guess Jo wouldn't really need him since she made Harry Potter...but atleast the court battle would end and everyone gets to write something. As for Steve, tough muffins for him if he's upset.... don't anger JKR is the lesson of the day.

How sad. Why did Steve go through with this?? Of course I agree with Jo, but both sides are hurting from this case. While I hope something benefical for all authors comes out of this, its hard to watch.

I feel kind of bad for him, but he should have known that his would happen. But I do feel bad for the guy and I think everyone should just lay off of him for a while. He's probably seriously starting to regret it now anyway.

This does seem like the type of thing people cry about to get sympathy. But I still do feel a little bad for Steve, I did about the same before. Yes, he's done something wrong, and pretty stupid seeing as how I really think the book will fail if it gets published. But I still have respect for the time he has put into his site, although honestly I very rarely go there (even before this case). He is as much as a fan as the rest of us, although like someone said, having JKR herself mad at you would be pretty saddening.

ugh! What a terrible court case! I don't really feel bad for him at all, I think he's a loser. I'm not usually mean, but he really makes me mad for causing this whole situation. All for a stupid book, where all the information in it is already on the internet!!! oooommggggggg &*^#*&^#@)$%!

Look... maybe he didn't intend to take it this far. Maybe the publisher is pushing him. Whatever. But Steve has made a pact with the devil. And let's not forget he actually wanted the Lexicon made into a book. If he had been firm, no publisher could have pushed into it. RDR may be in a legally grey area but ethically they are in the wrong. Steve would not even be able to make the Lexicon an acceptable thesis at any university worth the paper its letterhead was printed on. There is no analysis, nothing original in it. RogueJedi86: George Lucas has an immense machinery behind him. Do you honestly think all the Star Wars books that get published don't have his approval. Who do you think publishes them? And don't forget Lucas had a death-grip control on any prequel stuff that was published/speculated on before the prequels were made. He intended to make them and didn't want any "outside" interference so to speak. If you read the Star Wars episode 1-6 books you will find information that isn't in the movies or is slightly different. Same is the case for Harry Potter. It is the reality of making a book into a movie (even though Star Wars is essentially the other way around). What about LotR? The differences are immense. That isn't an argument for publishing the Lexicon. As for fan-fiction... they aren't allowed to publish and make money out of it. And I'd argue that if the LExicon with absolutely NO original material was allowed to be published then fan-fiction authors should be allowed to publish and make money as well. Hell... they have some original material at least. It has been good for Harry Potter that Jo hasn't come cracking down on fan-sites and fan-fiction like some other authors. But after this incident who can blame her or any other author if they do.

Trying this one more time...lol I do not feel sorry for Vander Ark one bit. That he breaks down on the stand perhaps indicated regret on SVA's part, but I question regret for what? He has spent the last decade profiting off of JKR's works, not only through his website, but also on the HP convention and lecture circuit. What does he regret?...losing fan support, losing JKR's opinion of his website, losing potential income, losing his dignity? I would assume all of the above and more. As a librarian who plastered copyright announcements and warnings all over his website, and as an "author" who wrangled an unusual "you defend me" contractual clause with his publisher, I firmly believe he knew exactly what he was doing getting himself into and out of hubris figured he could get away with his illegal and unethical actions. It adds insult to injury to think he is trying to get $25/book for what can be had for free off his website. One thing no one has mentioned that I consider worse that what he did to Jo, is what SVA did to all the people who contributed to his website. He was not the sole author of the website content that ended up in his proposed book. He has never mentioned any plans to compensate the other contributors/authors (who sometimes corrected his mistakes). It is supreme irony that his copyright infringement and theft of his contributors work is not being discussed in NY this week.

I think he must be thinking- what the crap have I gotten myself into? Jo is totally right in this case. The books are copyrighted and this case on RDR's part is frivolous!

Honestly, does ANYONE actually believe that the Lexicon will harm the chance of making big bucks for JKR's version? And I find it disturbing that some of you are treating JKR like a queen/ruler/god, whatever you're thinking. Let's face it - this really isn't about SVA or even JKR as a person. It's really about companies like RDK and the company part of JKR's identity. It's about business not loyalty. If it were about loyalty, even insinuating that the end result of Lexicon would be sloppy, lazy, etc., is pretty low - considering her praise of it while she was using it herself. Lexicon is still SVA's work in the sense that he compiled everything together. Yea - it's rather ambiguous legally, but c'mon can any of you actually deny that SVA put a great deal of time and energy into his compilation? Should he profit from it? Maybe. I think they should listen to the judge and settle this stupid thing. But I really think that both sides are probably regretting letting it get this big in the media. At least in some people's eyes, JKR's rep is undoubtedly tainted now (and obviously the same goes for SVA). I miss the days of waiting for a new HP book.

a bit of regret now, Steve. Shame it's too late. Now your publication company hate you for blaming them, Jo and WB hate you for obvious reasons and the fandom hate you because you're going against Jo. If you were pushed into it why did you make RDR put that thing into your publication contract about them paying for your legal fee's. I feel a little bit sorry for you. But just a little bit, you brought it on yourself buddy.

Go Steve, Go Jo! I really hope they can find a way to work this out and end this messy legal battle.

If you were a true fan, you wouldnt do this to her.

my earlier post got deleted for some reason so ill say it again. what a *****.

ITS ABOOK GUYS!! haha were so much more civilized than the n*zis, we dont burn the dam books, we just dont let them be published, yayyy

I completely agree with decagon. Just for the record, I didn't mean to get out of control criticizing Steve in my previous post. So, now that the discussions have developed, I'll reiterate some points clearly and hopefully get to the bottom line of this whole mess: It looks like Steve knew about the potential for copyright infringment from the get-go, hence the clause in his RDR contract, but he should have been strong enough to stop going forward with the publication at some point in the months before the case got out of hand. However, he did not do the RIGHT thing, but let RDR handle the issue which of course only made the situation worse (i.e. th EASY way out). Right vs. Easy, sound familar? As a HP fan, this is why I have no sympathy for him. He knew it was wrong, but was too weak to stop it. The ultimate showcase of weakness. My other point is has to do with people's comments about why both encyclopedias can't exist simultaneously on the market. Inherently, there is nothing wrong with this, especially considering that JKR's will outsell his in a heartbeat. However, there is a LAW that will be broken. HP is the INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY of JKR that is COPYRIGHTED, and to copy it near verbatim into a book and then try to sell it for PROFIT is ILLEGAL. Why can't Steve just stick to his website, which I think is perfectly good in its own right? And yes, as decagon said, Steve may not have intended to give the other Lexicon website writers proper credit in that book. Another injustice. Therefore, Steve got himself into this mess and it's nobody's fault but his own. So, he deserves to suffer the consequences.

... yall r just hating on steve cuz hes not hawt, admit it, if he looked like fricking orlando bloom, wed have everyone here defending him :P

1. it's not really about censorship because the ideas that he wants to get published have already been published - in the form of the harry potter books 2. just changing around the format does not mean that it's his intellectual property - he should not be allowed to profit from jkr's 17 years of efforts. here is an analogy i came up with, you can take it or leave it: if someone took a brahms symphony and simply reorganized the movements to go 4, 3, 1, 2 and then went and said "look what i wrote everybody, buy this" and tried to publish it and/or make money off of it, obviously everyone would know that that person is crazy and just wrong. simply reorganizing someone else's work does not make it your own.

All this talk of profits is for nothing anyways. HP fan websites like mugglenet and HP-Lexicon have ads on them, which gives money to the webmasters. This money isn't going straight back to JKR, so people are already profiting off Harry Potter without JKR getting any of the money. Sites like this wouldn't have ads if it was truly about making sure JKR gets 100% profits, or at the least they'd give JKR all their ad money. Where did the profits for Mugglenet's Book 7 Predictions go? To JKR? To a charity?

i feel sorry for JO....

HermioneIsMyHero27: "here is an analogy i came up with, you can take it or leave it: if someone took a brahms symphony and simply reorganized the movements to go 4, 3, 1, 2 and then went and said "look what i wrote everybody, buy this" and tried to publish it and/or make money off of it, obviously everyone would know that that person is crazy and just wrong. simply reorganizing someone else's work does not make it your own."||||| Kinda like how Bram Stoker's estate doesn't get royalties for every mention of Dracula in popular fiction and movies today? Where's the champion for the Dracula royalties?

ummm, it IS about censorship, whos to say his ideas adding onto jkrs work isnt imprtant, u? god? the n*zis? who huh??

Ok i have to speak out, cuz you guys don't know how to reason well, lol. with the exception of the cheesecakes club! ;) Anyway, the Mugglenet book "What Will Happen in HArry Potter 7" is legal, u know why? CUZ IT'S A SPECULATION BOOOK! A BOOK WITH THEORIES! MOST OF THE STUFF WAS PROVEN WRONG! But his Encyclopeida is basically making EVERYTHING SEEM REAL! it's an Encyclopedia, for crying out loud! Not a theory book! LOADS AND LOADS of philosophers, and psychologists, have wrote thesis and dissertations on Harry Potter, i saw one book called "Wizards and Hogwarts" or something like that, at Barnes and Nobles, an it was by a college professor, WHY DIDN'T THEY GET IN TROUBLE??? Oh i know, it's cuz it was opinionated books, theories, speculations, reserach, DUH! This Encyclopedia, is kind of like another HP book, or charity book. You guys might as wel publish your fanfiction and title it "Harry Potter and the Giant Squid" or "James Potter and the Road of Elder Crossing" of some shhh like that! REASON!

CHILD, U RANTED AND I READ IT AND I STILL HAVE NO CLUW WHAT U SAID!! and im glad u took my advice and realized cheescake was one word, and its not the cheesecake club moron, its the effing CHEESECAKIANS! get it right

damm i hate it when ppl say cheesecakes! its the CHEESECAKEIANSSS!!!!! *coughhoneycough* haha wut a fruitcake that girl is haha

i dont understand how hes getting choked up about it.... he put himself in this position. Why he couldnt back down, or why he started this in the first place... we will never know

lol str8 up lee

ahahahha, lee, u shouldnnt have been so mean to ur stalker, uve broken his heart now :P

Shut the hell up Marie_Lee , you obviously don't know how to reason well, lol! GO CHEESECAKIANS!!

shut up racist *****, oh yeah you cant say that anymore, homo, seriously no one is listenng to you or cares what you have to say. go assault another white women like poor anya

And Marie_Lee, listen, i don't know who you think you are, but you never adviced me, you must have me confused with someone else girl. Just remember to check yourself b4 you wreck yourself, lol

Awww, look at poor homo Grnd3lW4Ld, He's just said his wife Anyamarcos is destroyed by the phoenixknight, and he can't get over the past. Get over yourself douche.... You're no longer the Dark Lord anymore, Remember your reign is long over and Voldemort killed you already. And no one likes you, because you've been locked up in a tower for all of your life.

"Just remember to check yourself b4 you wreck yourself, lol"....yeah, im out

Yeah peace Grnd3lW4Ld , you got no more comebacks, so what does Grindy do??? retreat to his little tower! Please Go! No ONE cares about you on this comment board, seriously pal!

Yeah peace Grnd3lW4Ld , you got no more comebacks, so what does Grindy do??? retreat to his little tower! Please Go! No ONE cares about you on this comment board, seriously pal!