Rowling suing Indian Festival

wee · Oct 12, 2007

Okay, I'm the very first to defend copyrights ... but I think this is really dumb. They aren't doing anything that will cause her to lose reputation or money. If they were illegally copying text or showing the movies, that would be something else.

If I home-make a Harry Potter costume for my son that isn't officially licensed, is she going to come sue me? I can't see where this is a copyright violation.

Rowling, as a person, drops a few notches in my estimation.

Booo.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/2007101...urtreligion;_ylt=AsKWVJAO0tP562SgLMFlc5e9IxIF

ETA: Okay, I'll reserve judgment on Rowling 'till I hear if she is behind this or just the publishers...

General Joy · Oct 12, 2007

Ditto, wee. It's no more a copyright violation, IMO, than a prom or party with a movie theme.

wyntermoon · Oct 12, 2007

It sounds more like over-anxious lawyers itching for something to do.

Toothpaste · Oct 12, 2007

Well. . . I'm wondering if it is really Rowling or simply the publishers. I have a friend who made news back when she was in high school when their school was going to put on a play of Harry Potter (she was going to play Hermione). This was before the first movie came out, but WB had just bought the rights. WB got angry and said the school couldn't do it, so the school wrote to JK personally. Not only did JK say that WB were being ridiculous and gave permission to the school to do the show, but she came and visited the school and had lunch with the leads (I was very jealous of my friend).

So I don't know . . . i want a few more details before I get mad at JK.

Pamster · Oct 12, 2007

Wow...That is just awful, I bet they do go after really cool costumes next. That is just awful...

ETA: I hope that it's just her publisher. Like Toothpaste said it very well could be. :tongue

badducky · Oct 12, 2007

It could also be a simple misunderstanding.

This is - after all - the equivalent of a giant Mardi Gras float.

Sury · Oct 12, 2007

Thankfully, the court gave a saner verdict.

Organisers of the ‘Potter pandal’ in Salt Lake’s FD Block heaved a sigh of relief on Friday when Delhi High Court dismissed Penguin India’s complaint of copyright violation.

nevada · Oct 12, 2007

the problem with copyrights and trademarks is that you have to vigorously defend each incident or later on the courts will decide that you didnt protect it enough and you've lost the right to use it exclusively. So it was probably more a legal maneuvre than anything.

Nestle lost the exclusive right to tollhouse after the courts decided they didnt fight each incident of its unauthorised use. I'm sure Rowling's lawyers advised to to file the suit irregardless of how she or they might have personally felt about it, as a move for future possible infractions.

badducky · Oct 12, 2007

If anyone wants to make a parade float based on my book, or a pandal, they have my permission.

And, I would totally want pictures. With costumes.

Because it would be awesome.

Pamster · Oct 13, 2007

nevada said:
the problem with copyrights and trademarks is that you have to vigorously defend each incident or later on the courts will decide that you didnt protect it enough and you've lost the right to use it exclusively. So it was probably more a legal maneuvre than anything.

Nestle lost the exclusive right to tollhouse after the courts decided they didnt fight each incident of its unauthorised use. I'm sure Rowling's lawyers advised to to file the suit irregardless of how she or they might have personally felt about it, as a move for future possible infractions.

That makes sense Nevada. I think you're probably right.

Pyre · Oct 28, 2007

nevada said:
the problem with copyrights and trademarks is that you have to vigorously defend each incident or later on the courts will decide that you didnt protect it enough and you've lost the right to use it exclusively. So it was probably more a legal maneuvre than anything.

Nestle lost the exclusive right to tollhouse after the courts decided they didnt fight each incident of its unauthorised use. I'm sure Rowling's lawyers advised to to file the suit irregardless of how she or they might have personally felt about it, as a move for future possible infractions.

That's true for trademarks. It is not true for copyrights.

CandlestickJay · Oct 28, 2007

Wow, I hope it was just a legal maneuver and not the lawyers itching to do something. I mean, seriously, as if the whole "Dumbledore is gay" thing WASN'T getting her a billion hits on the internet already - they have to go and sue somebody to do more?

On a different, but still Potter-based note -

anyone gonna go visit the Harry Potter theme park in Florida?

TrickyFiction · Oct 28, 2007

Toothpaste said:
So I don't know . . . i want a few more details before I get mad at JK.

I agree. I mean, it just doesn't seem like something she would gladly do, you know? She supposedly even enjoys her own fan-fiction.

And, Toothpaste, thanks for the story. It's going to be my candy-sweetness for the day, my long-distance telephone commercial. It made me go, "Awe!"

Notebook · Oct 29, 2007

CandlestickJay said:
...the whole "Dumbledore is gay" thing...

This really ticked me off. It had nothing to do with the storyline. It wasn't pertinent information. It wasn't pivotal. It didn't belong in the books and, in return, I lost respect for her.

I could vent a lot more, but you get the idea. It's things like this lawsuit and other hyper-ridiculous things like not being able to say the words SUPER BOWL on tv without paying for the rights. Same goes for the song Happy Birthday. ($5,000 to be exact.) Can't sing it on tv with paying for the rights. There IS such a things as getting too rights happy.

Notebook · Oct 29, 2007

TrickyFiction said:
I agree. I mean, it just doesn't seem like something she would gladly do, you know? She supposedly even enjoys her own fan-fiction.[\quote]

Not according to quotes in interviews. The whole reason she contemplated killing off Harry in the final novel was because she's dead set against anyone continuing to write about Harry after she's gone.

DeleyanLee · Oct 29, 2007

Pyre said:
That's true for trademarks. It is not true for copyrights.

Ah, but all the images, etc, are also trademarked--the joys of merchandising your books.

DeleyanLee · Oct 29, 2007

Notebook said:
Not according to quotes in interviews. The whole reason she contemplated killing off Harry in the final novel was because she's dead set against anyone continuing to write about Harry after she's gone.

As if that would stop fanficcers. If someone wanted to ignore that, they certainly would--and an entire subset of fandom would grow around Harry not dying to support it and it could even become more popular than the "canon" of him dying. If she'd done that, of course, which she didn't.

Toothpaste · Oct 29, 2007

Notebook said:
This really ticked me off. It had nothing to do with the storyline. It wasn't pertinent information. It wasn't pivotal. It didn't belong in the books and, in return, I lost respect for her.

Really? She was just answering a question a fan asked her, it wasn't like she wrote an essay on the subject. As writers we know so much about the characters we write and yet don't share everything with the reader. And actually I disagree, I think it explains a lot about his relationship with that evil wizard who's name I can never spell but it starts with a G. But it doesn't really affect the novel at all true, I just think it's interesting. If she had revealed he'd had a secret female lover that had nothing to do with the story, would you have felt the same way? Were you also just as upset to learn Neville wound up marrying Hannah Abbott? I mean that isn't pertinent either, doesn't belong in the books and has nothing to do with the storyline, but she shared that info as well.

TrickyFiction - I'm glad you enjoyed the story! When my friend told me that I was SO JEALOUS!

Spiny Norman · Oct 29, 2007

Toothpaste said:
words

I hate to start this debate again, but I'm with you on this. It seems silly to assume it was an attention-getting device, and as writers we should be doubly aware of what it was.

Rowling suing Indian Festival

wee

just a little

General Joy

general soothsayer

wyntermoon

Toothpaste

THE RECKLESS RESCUE is out now!

Pamster

Summer time Blues

badducky

No Time For Chitchat, Kemosabe.

Sury

Word Worker

nevada

badducky

No Time For Chitchat, Kemosabe.

Pamster

Summer time Blues

Pyre

CandlestickJay

TrickyFiction

Who?

Notebook

Notebook

DeleyanLee

Writing Anarchist

DeleyanLee

Writing Anarchist

Toothpaste

THE RECKLESS RESCUE is out now!

Spiny Norman