Judge Finds in Favour of JK Rowling in Copyright Infringement Claim

On September 8, 2008, Judge Robert Patterson of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled in favour of author JK Rowling in her copyright infringement lawsuit against a fan who attempted to publish a Harry Potter lexicon. The contested lexicon is essentially a guide to all published Harry Potter books and includes detailed descriptions of the books' characters, creatures, potions and spells. Many books have been published that discuss Harry Potter and the world of wizards; however, Rowling believed the contested lexicon copied a vast amount of her work and did not provide any originality. Judge Patterson found that the contested work copied a sufficient quantity of the Harry Potter series to support a finding of substantial similarity between the lexicon and Rowling's novels. Judge Patterson wrote that reference materials are generally useful to the public but that, in this case, the lexicon went too far. Judge Patterson went on to note that "while the lexicon, in its current state, is not a fair use of the Harry Potter works, reference works that share the lexicon's purpose of aiding readers of literature generally should be encouraged rather than stifled." Judge Patterson found the lexicon would cause Rowling irreparable harm as a writer and permanently blocked the lexicon's publication. Statutory damages of $6,750 were awarded to Rowling and Warner Bros Entertainment Inc. For more information, see: http://tinyurl.com/6popvz For full text of the judgment, see: http://tinyurl.com/3o47t6 Summary by: Oren Weichenberg