Minor settlement reached, Supreme Court may loom

Day 3 of the JK Rowling/Warner Brothers VS RDR Books trial commenced today, and continues to spiral into one big mess of ordeals. Highlights from today, before lunch break:

– Lawyers for JKR/WB and RDR told the judge this morning that they reached a settlement on the false advertising and deceptive trade practices claims. You may remember yesterday that the judge suggested a settlement instead of a lawsuit. A representative for RDR also told the court that they hope to settle on the trademark infringement and unfair competition claims. Once that is out of the way, this just leaves the big copyright infringement claims left.

– Janet Sorensen, a professor of 18th and early 19th century English literature at U.C. Berkeley, was called to the stand today by RDR where she spoke of other fantasy works that also have companion guides to help the reader understand the content of the story.

– Judge Patterson was quoted as saying, “I think this case, with imagination, could be settled….But don't throw anything out because of my desire to move ahead.” He suspects the case will be appealed, and that it could go all the way to the Supreme Court, taking years to resolve.

Read much more at The Wall Street Journal and MSNBC. We'll continue to keep you updated!