Entry tags:

entitlement, fandom: harry potter, internet lawyers, this is the wank that never ends

Old Faithful returns
Just one thing, but it's that good. Via auralan: "RDR Books' side wanted, as part of their discovery, to get copies of JKR's notes that she's already prepared for her own encyclopedia! Why? Because JKR says she's writing one and they need this as proof of that."

Application granted in part. Plaintiffs are to provide defendants with copies of the statements contained in the publications [auralan: "They get copies of the magazines/interviews where JKR said she was planning to write the encyclopedia"] listed in plaintiffs response to Interrogatory 3(a) (ii) by February 8, 2008. Defendant has not shown the Court that any further discovery about Ms. Rowling's notes would be helpful to Defendant's position [Judge Robert P. Patterson: "LOL NO"].


Oh, and RDR Books has also started a blog. At least... they're trying to.

ETA: JKR/WB respond:

JKR/WB object to what it sees as RDR’s “pattern of writing the Court whenever it wishes without first making any effort to meet and confer, let alone giving sufficient advance notice of its intended communication with the Court”.... JKR’s “overwhelmingly sensitive” notes would serve “no legitimate purpose other than to harass Ms. Rowling. Rather, the burden of producing these notes far outweighs any benefit to RDR in obtaining them.”

ETA 2, from weyrlady: "SVA has sent a letter to Ansible, a *very* popular fanzine run out of England by Dave Langford. Dave published it here." Short version: The print edition of the Lexicon differs greatly from the website--the material was expanded condensed* and the extensive quoting was minimized and it's legal. Also, JKR hates freedom.

* Wait, condensed? "The entries on the website provide much more detailed and complete information than the entries in the book. We took the information on the site and did a lot of editing, condensing, and in some cases complete rewriting." So... the free resource is... better than the one you have to pay for.

Also: "You and I are part of a subculture that lives off the creative work of others. We always try to do that in a legal and respectful way."

ETA 3, via lidane: RDR Books Files Response to JKR/WB in Lexicon Suit. TLC: "There are in all declarations from six people and several hundred papers of exhibits, most of which are copies of text from books (including almost the entire Lexicon book)." Points of interest:

1. "It says Rapoport called Vander Ark after reading about him in an article, and Vander Ark expressed interest in publishing a book version of the website. Rapoport said he thought the A-Z index was the best part to publish."

2.  Six examples of other Harry Potter guides are listed, showing that it is "far too late" for JKR to be the "first to publish" an encyclopedia. I believe the first one listed is the one the Lexicon accused (with good reason, as previously discussed in ETA 1) of plagiarizing their site. TLC: "These six [are counted] as the ones that had 'especially striking similarities to the Lexicon in both format and content: At first flush, (a) appears to be out of print or unavailable on Amazon, (b) is about 2/3rds non-encyclopedic work, (c) seems to not be listed on Amazon, (d)’s title is actually 'An Unofficial…' etc. and (f) is a predictions book."

3. I'm just going to give you this one in its entirety: "Prof. Janet Sorensen declares in favor of RDR, and the brief says she says that 'lexicons like this one have an important and distinguished place in the literary world…it organizes a tremendous amount of information into a concise and readable form…[and] provides a significant amount of original analysis and commentary.' It also says the HPL takes information from 'painstaking collection' of Ms. Rowling’s interviews and statements, and Sorensen says it 'helps readers to construct the universe of the Potter books in their minds, to understand its rich connections to the wide world in which we live, and to encourage the impulse to imagine a universe beyond the one depicted in the books.' "

4. SVA’s declaration.

5. A summary of JKR press statements (presumably in lieu of her encyclopedia notes).

6. A new cover mockup.

And SO VERY, VERY much more.

ETA 4: From sylvatica: "The NY Times article today about this case is here: A Tight Grip Can Choke Creativity. They seem to be siding with RDR books, based on fair use, but I don't know if they've visited the Lexicon website much... there's something in there about how it's mostly analysis, commentary, pointing out mistakes and such." Before I was able to update with this, Watch That Page sent an alert to the effect that RDR Books has posted this link on its front page as well.

Also, from ari_o: Wank on the TLC entry, also reported by pyratejenni. "Who does JK Rowling think she is, that she’s better than JRR Tolkien and Gene Roddenberry?"

ETA 5 from lidane: Drama ensues as SVA and Melissa from TLC volley statements back and forth regarding the Lexicon's hosting situation.

ETA 5b: A Lexicon supporter (possible friend of SVA?) shows up to grudgewank Melissa and "subtly" tries to use FW as her flying monkeys. Recipes and snarky tags ensue.