Legal News

Rowling or RDR Books: Who Will Win the Potter Trial?

By Ashby Jones

You’ve read the books. You’ve seen the movies. You’ve lined up at midnight outside a bookstore with your 8-year old dressed up as Dumbledore. Now, you’ve heard the arguments on both sides as to whether Steven Vander Ark’s proposed Harry Potter Lexicon infringes upon copyrights held by J.K. Rowling. And it’s time to cast your vote.

The main issue, in a nutshell: Is the Harry Potter Lexicon — a proposed hardbound compendium to all-things Harry — a “fair use” of copyrighted Harry Potter material? During the three-day trial, the plaintiffs, Rowling and Warners, argued no: that the lexicon, in the words of lawyer Dale Cendali, “takes too much and does too little” to warrant fair-use protection. On the other side, the putative publisher, RDR books, argued yes: that the lexicon offers more to Harry Potter fans than a mere regurgitation of Rowling’s novels.

The trial wrapped up on Wednesday and is now in the hands of Judge Robert Patterson.

For more Law Blog background on the case (in advance of casting your vote, of course), click here.

Law Blog Poll: Who will win the Harry Potter copyright suit?

The plaintiffs, J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.
The defendant, RDR Books

View results

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on April 17, 2008 (boomark / email).