J.K. Rowling Wins Lawsuit

A federal judge ruled Monday in favor of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. in a legal case involving copyrights.

As a writer, I applaud Rowling’s actions and feel like this is another score for the good of all writers everywhere. We can’t be giving away our work for free, or letting others use it without permission. That’s why it irks me to no end to see complete Film Gecko posts lifted and used in other blogs.

After four months of deliberation, Judge Robert Patterson of the New York Southern District ruled that Harry Potter Lexicon, a planned unauthorized Potter compendium compiled by Steven Vander Ark and set to be published by RDR Books, must not be published, as it would infringe Rowling’s copyright. He issued an injunction to stop the publication, arguing it used too much of Rowling’s material to be considered fair use.

“I took no pleasure at all in bringing legal action and am delighted that this issue has been resolved favorably,” Rowling said. “I went to court to uphold the right of authors everywhere to protect their own original work.”