Movie Trivia: J.K. Rowling and the Superfan Lawsuit
No one is quite sure what makes certain stories a hit. But when the Harry Potter books first hit shelves, they became an instant sensation amongst kids and their parents; whether people were praising the books or burning them, they were in the news almost every week with some new shenanigans. The Harry Potter series spawned film adaptations that made millions, and the franchise spawned the kind of obsessiveness that always leads to tears. In the case of Steven Vander Ark, Potter fan extraordinaire, the pain is just beginning.
Vander Ark launched The Harry Potter Lexicon as an online reference for fans like him, and it soon expanded into the most complete database of Harry Potter information, anywhere. Rowling herself gave him an unofficial “award” and confessed in interviews that she often used his site as a reference when doing her own writing. Vander Ark even appeared on some of the DVD special features for the films. He was living a fan’s dream.
Then, a tiny publishing company called RDR Books announced that it would produce a print version of the Lexicon - and all hell broke loose.
Warner Brothers immediately sued, calling for a halt of publication. They said that the Lexicon is in violation of copyright laws. Making the information available for fans was one thing, but making a profit off of it crossed the line.
During a three-day trial that concluded Wednesday, Rowling savaged Vander Ark as a plagiarist and a thief, saying the lexicon ripped off too much material from her books. It all reduced Vander Ark to tears at one point during the trial.
It was a surprising departure for Rowling, who has encouraged so-called “fan fiction” and once said there is nothing wrong with people writing new stories for her characters, to share with friends.
The author and her lawyers said they were stirred to action by the proposal to move the Potter lexicon from the anything-goes Web, where it was available for free, into book form, where it would compete directly with a Potter encyclopedia that Rowling plans to write herself.
While we can all understand the legal precedent that might prevent someone from publishing a work of this nature, Rowling’s sudden change of heart about Vander Ark’s work isn’t really called for. Reducing a fan to tears just isn’t good publicity - for anyone.
Save yourself some grief and don’t make an online encyclopedia - play Harry Potter movie trivia instead.
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It’s also a complete crock, Liz. Rowling’s currently planning to release her OWN reference guide and make a few more pots of money off this poorly-constructed universe. Reference books cannot be called plagiarism, and thankfully, tiny little RDR’s lawyers know about a little thing called “Fair Use”, which shoots the middle finger ROYALLY at Rowling and her little attempted coup. Finally, for once, it looks like big money will be bowing to the law for a change.