WHEN:Thursday, July 9, 2009
WHERE:
Ziegfeld Theatre
Crew Arrivals: 4:45 pm
141 West 54th Street
New York, NY 10019
Celebrity Arrivals: 6:00 pm
Screening: 7:00 pm

Celebrities in attendance will be: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Bonnie Wright, Tom Felton, director David Yates and producers David Heyman and David Barron.

The prominent atheist is stepping down from his post at Oxford University to write a book aimed at youngsters in which he will warn them against believing in “anti-scientific” fairytales.

Prof Hawkins said: “The book I write next year will be a children’s book on how to think about the world, science thinking contrasted with mythical thinking.

I don’t want to get too involved with this topic right now (we’ll talk about it on our next podcast), but I will say that I’ve read a portion of Dawkins books, and, while I think there is certainly truth to some of his arguments, the guy has a profound misunderstanding of what it means to be a human being.

To be honest, if Dawkins took issue with the Christian content of the Harry Potter books, with the obviously central theme of faith in the series, and J.K. Rowling’s tacit position that faith is the ultimate redeeming quality that Man must strive for in order to combat evil, I’d have no problem with that. But that doesn’t appear to be the case. According to the article, Dawkins just doesn’t like kids using their imagination:

“I think looking back to my own childhood, the fact that so many of the stories I read allowed the possibility of frogs turning into princes, whether that has a sort of insidious affect on rationality, I’m not sure. Perhaps it’s something for research.”

To Dawkins, we are all meant to be purely rational and logical, and anything fanciful, anything stemming from the imagination, is a perversion of our nature (surprising that an evolutionary biologist would take this approach, but that’s another story). There’s no question that indulging in one’s imaginative side too much can be detrimental, to one’s self and others, but to banish imagination from the realm of human experience seems, to me, ridiculous. Would the Wright Brother’s ever have discovered flight, if Icarus had never flown too high? I don’t think so.

Dawkins is no different than those that seek to label Harry Potter as witchcraft: unable to appreciate the deeper meaning that a story holds.

Local school children will be invited to attend the special charity launch. Net proceeds from the sale of The Tales of Beedle the Bard will fund the charity’s work with vulnerable children across Eastern Europe. To celebrate the launch, children across the UK and those visiting from further afield, will get the opportunity to see one of only seven original copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard on display at the National Library of Scotland.
The month-long Beedle display will take place from 5 December to 4 January….There will be the opportunity for 10 local schools to each bring up to 20 pupils, aged 8 to 11, to the Beedle tea party.
The tickets will be allocated through a random ballot, to be run by the Edinburgh Evening News, from Wednesday 5 November 2008.

So, what about children who aren’t “local school children?” Well, Schostic, the US publisher of the Harry Potter series has announced a children’s essay contest, with five grand prizes of trips for two to Jo’s Beedle the Bard tea party in Scotland.

In order to enter The Tales of Beedle the Bard essay contest, fans are asked to write an essay of 200 words or less describing how they have helped others.

Good luck to all of the children (or parents of children) who enter!!

Feel free to go back and listen to Episode 1 and see how well our prognosticating skills fared, as well as how far we’ve come in our podcasting skills. You might also like to check out Episode 51: The Podcastversary Edition. You’ll remember-that was a fun old episode, we let loose a little and Greg even performed his BlueGrass Wizard Rock song, “My Invisibility Cloak”- complete with guitar playing!

So thanks to everyone who has been part of HPProgs for the past two years. We have loved doing the podcast, and we look forward to good times to come! And remember, we have now entered our “Terrible Twos” so you all better watch out!!

In any event, the Harry Potter Lexicon has disapparated from the internet and I’m sad. If it truly is gone, not only does it nullify years and years of hard work on Steve Vander Ark’s part (not to mention his staff and contributors); but the resource that *was* the HP Lexicon is no longer available to the HP fans. As someone who has analyzed these books and has held hours and hours of discussion related to Harry Potter (89 of those recorded for all of you to hear ) I have used the Lexicon as a resource countless times.

It does seem that Steve is moving on though. Well sort of. He isn’t leaving the Harry Potter world but he is focusing on different ventures.

The Grand Rapids Press reports the following:

“I’ve always been a fan of Harry Potter and of Rowling and my hope all along was that we’d find an amicable way to settle this,” Vander Ark said from England this on Tuesday morning. “I’m disappointed, but this is the way it went and I don’t hold any ill will at all.

“It was a question of law over a difference of opinion and, in a way, I’m glad that it’s finally over.”

While the dispute simmered in court for nearly a year, Vander Ark has been focusing on publishing a different Potter-themed book.

This one, a travel memoir, has Vander Ark visiting sites referenced in the series, exploring and taking pictures of them. The 256-page book is set for release in October through Methuen Publishing, Vander Ark said.

“(The) book evokes the myths and magic of Harry Potter,” according to a release on the Methuen Web site. “It will be enjoyed by all fans of the boy wizard and will prove a useful guide for those bent on making discoveries of their own.”

Having heard Steve lecture on this topic, I don’t doubt that this will be a fantastic and entertaining book and I wish him the best of luck.

UPDATE: Steve read my note on facebook and here is what he wrote: “It’s not down. We’re in the process of transferring the domain and so that URL offline for a short time, but the site up as usual at www.hp-lexicon.info.”
PHEW:)

Rowling said the following of the verdict:

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

“The proposed book took an enormous amount of my work and added virtually no original commentary of its own. Now the court has ordered that it must not be published.”

“Many books have been published which offer original insights into the world of Harry Potter. The Lexicon just is not one of them.”

Warner Brothers issued the following statement:

“We are obviously pleased with today’s ruling by Judge Patterson supporting the position that the proposed lexicon book infringes on Ms. Rowling’s rights. As a content company, it is imperative that we work vigorously on all fronts to protect the intellectual property rights of those who create the stories and characters, words, pictures and music that entertain and benefit the worldwide audience.”

And RDR’s official statement is as follows:

“We are encouraged by the fact the Court recognized that as a general matter authors do not have the right to stop the publication of reference guides and companion books about literary works. As for the Lexicon, we are obviously disappointed with the result, and RDR is considering all of its options.”

The full opinion can be found in PDF form here.

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge ruled Monday in favor of “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling in her copyright infringement lawsuit against a fan and Web site operator who was set to publish a Potter encyclopedia.

U.S. District Judge Robert P. Patterson said Rowling had proven that Steven Vander Ark’s “Harry Potter Lexicon” would cause her irreparable harm as a writer. He permanently blocked publication of the reference guide and awarded Rowling and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. $6,750 in statutory damages.

There is not a lot of information about the verdict yet, but we will keep you posted as it comes in.

Now that we have the verdict and it has come back in Jo’s favor, this beckons us to ask- will Jo now have the heart to finish writing her Encyclopedia? Do the Potter fans now have a new book to look forward to?

UPDATE: while reading the opinion, I came across this tidbit:

To date, Warner Bros. has release five Harry Potter films, with the sixth scheduled for a worldwide release in November 2008.

I don’t know about you; I consider this to be a court order that Movie 6 must come out in November! Either that, or this was written a while ago.

Many of you have written to me to express your disappointment in our moving Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to Summer 2009.

Please be assured that we share your love for Harry Potter and would certainly never do anything to hurt any of the films. Over the past 10 years, we have nurtured and protected each film, and the integrity of the books upon which they are based, to the best of our ability.

The decision to move Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was not taken lightly, and was never intended to upset our Harry Potter fans. We know you have built this series into what it is, and we thank you for your ongoing enthusiasm and support.

If I may offer a silver lining: there would have been a two-year gap between Half-Blood Prince and the much-anticipated first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which opens in November 2010.

So although we have to wait a little longer for Half-Blood Prince, the wait from that film until Deathly Hallows will be less than 18 months. I am sorry to have disappointed you now, but if you hold on a little longer, I believe it will be worth the wait.
Alan Horn
President, Chief Operating Officer
Warner Bros.

Fans continue to be dismayed by the actions of WB as well as the excuses given for the delay of the much anticipated movie. What are your thoughts?

Wanted posters have gone up in New Zealand with a picture of Harry Potter star Robbie Coltrane.

Police have used his face because he looks very similar to a teenager who is suspected of committing a string of burglaries.

Under local laws, they’re not allowed to display a picture of the 16-year-old because he is underage.

Copies of the poster have been distributed to homes in the area, where police said residents have been targeted by the bike-riding teenager.

Below the heading ‘Wanted’ is the picture of Coltrane, underneath which are the words ‘Active burglar in this neighbourhood’.

The text below explains that the photo is of Coltrane and continues: “Robbie Coltrane is not the burglar but imagine him aged 16 with lank greasy hair and you have the picture.

Full Story

Wow. Just when you think the world can’t get any stupider.

(Hat Tip: AF)

During the Olympics the HP Alliance is asking Harry Potter fans throughout the world to celebrate this year’s Olympic motto of “One World, One Dream.” In order to celebrate this ideal authentically, we’re asking Harry Potter fans across the world to write houseparties@thehpalliance.org

The Olympics we feel are similar to the TriWizard Tournament. Both are ancient athletic competitions designed to bring about international cooperation. But this “One World, One Dream” ideal of the TriWizard Tournament was high jacked by Lord Voldemort. And we don’t want that happening in our world.

The Olympics this year are being hosted by the government of China who is actively funding the genocide in Darfur, the military regime in Burma, and many other nightmares across the world. In saying this, the HPA has the highest respect for the Chinese people, realizes that no government is free from fault, and is not asking any one to boycott the Olympics. On the contrary, we are asking everyone to come together and work for this ideal – not allow it to become an empty phrase of propaganda like Grindewald’s “For The Greater Good.”

So we’re asking you to get together with your friends and hold a house party. It could be big. It could be small. And we’ll give you tools at each house party (including a podcast to listen to) to take action on behalf of the people of Darfur, Burma, and more! If you’re interested in hosting a house party or finding one near you, email Dinah at houseparties@thehpalliance.org

We think this is going to be a really fun way to take action on behalf of our world. We’ve even divided what you can do into Three Tasks! Together we can apply the message that we’ve learned from Harry Potter, in these dark and difficult times, do what’s right over what’s easy, and have fun as we celebrate Harry Potter and the authentic ideal of One World, One Dream!

For more info, check out: http://thehpalliance.org/triwizard.html the side bar has some awesome PDFs with more info as well!

And please email houseparties@thehpalliance.org today!

Now is a great time to get involved in the HP Alliance. Please do your part to fight evil!

Three Broomsticks

(Hat Tip: AF)

But then I started to think about this past year. And about all that has gone on in relation to Harry Potter, the fandom, and HPProgs in general.

So now, please join me on a stroll down memory lane to remember the Harry Potter Happenings of the past year:

• Hundreds of news outlets and mainstream press published articles related to the upcoming release of HPDH. Several newspapers (including my local paper, the Baltimore Sun) made the egregious error of spoiling the plot for fans and still haven’t been forgiven by many loyal Potter fans.

• My final emotional post right before Deathly Hallows came out. I still get tears in my eyes when I re-read it.
• HPProgs podcast immediately following our first reading of the book. I was a mess and cried for the first few minutes. It is a gem of a memory (yes that is sarcasm).
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows exceeds sales speculations and sets new records.
• July 24, 2007: JK Rowling announces to the delight of her fans that she plans on writing an Encyclopedia of characters, places and back stories as a compendium to the Harry Potter Series.
• August 2-5, 2007: We attended our first HP Symposium: Prophecy 2007: From Hero to Legend. The post-Potter excitement at this conference was palpable and there will probably never be another gathering of HP fans that is as exciting and momentous as this was.
• Snape fans everywhere  feel validated and begin to post youtube videos, fanart, and fanfiction about our favorite (or not) greasy potions master.
• August 2007: filming for “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” movie commences.
• September 2007: JK Rowling and Scholastic announce Open Book Tour to take place in select cities in October of 2007.
• October 2007: Harry Potter is the final Wizard of the Month on JKRowling.com.
• October 17, 2007: Jo causes a stir by discussing religious symbolism in Harry Potter at the LA stop on the Open Book Tour (we didn’t know what we were in for yet).
• October 19, 2007: Jo shakes the fandom by stating that she “always thought of Dumbledore as gay,” when asked if he ever “found love.” Ironically, the fandom was less shaken when she alluded to the fact  that Aberforth did in fact have  inappropriate relations with goats during his lifetime.
• Fans (including us) question whether Jo’s revelations after the books “change canon.”
• October 31, 2007: the lawsuit between JK Rowling/WB and Steve Vander Ark/ RDR Books is announced.
• November 2007: JK Rowling is named Entertainment Weekly Magazine’s Entertainer of the Year for 2007.
• December 2007: Amazon.com wins the Sotheby’s auction of the “Tales of Beedle the Bard” for $4 Million.
• December 2007: JK Rowling is named the 3rd runner-up for Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 2007.
• December 2007: Fans get to see footage of JK Rowling completing Deathly Hallows on ITV’s “A Year in the LIfe” special.
• January 2008: JK Rowling/WB file a full injunction against Steve Vander Ark and RDR Publishers to stop the HP-Lexicon from being published.
• March 2008: After much speculation, it is announced that the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie will be split into two parts. Once again, fans are in an uproar.
• April 2008: Fans learn more than we ever wanted to know about the “Fair Use Doctrine” as the JK Rowling/Steve Vander Ark trial takes place in New York.
• April 25, 2008: “Harry Potter: The Exhibition” is announced.
• May 1, 2008: For the first time in 10 years, Harry Potter is NOT on the New York Times Best Seller list.
• May 2008: Fans see copies of the JKR/SVA trial transcript. Some decide to re-enact the case.
• May 20, 2008: Scholastic announces special 10th Anniversary version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to be released in September 2008.
• June 5, 2008: JK Rowling is the guest speaker at the 2008 Harvard Commencement Speech.
• June 11, 2008: JK Rowling writes 800 word Harry Potter Prequel for charity. She states that she has no intention of writing more of a prequel, fans hope otherwise.
• July 10-13, 2008: Portus 2008 takes place in Dallas Texas. Most attendees agree it is one of the best Potter conferences ever. Jim Dale makes a special appearance.
• July 18, 2008: Fans who have been eagerly waiting for the Half Blood Prince Teaser Trailer are dismayed at the 15 second non-teaser they get prior to the Imax showing of “Dark Knight.”
• July 21, 2008: Fans everywhere celebrate the 1 year anniversary of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. They use this day to celebrate, reminisce, hope for more, and make a plea for social change.  They are once again united in a way that only Harry Potter can unite a diverse group of individuals.

What do you think? Could this be the new Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince movie poster? (Hat tip to Bill)

What is interesting is that this comes on the same day as Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People came out with JK Rowling conspicuously NOT on the list.

So what does this mean?  Now that almost a year has passed since  “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” was released, is Harry Potter slowly but surely fading into obscurity?  I know it isn’t reasonable to assume that Harry Potter would stay on the Best-Seller List forever, or that JK Rowling would continually be honored for her influence on the world of literature, but this seems like a hasty fall from grace in my opinion.

More and more schools are making Harry Potter required reading so children will still pick up the series and hopefully devour it with the same zest that we’ve all done.  Unfortunately there won’t be any “between the book excitement” that helped to make the series as exciting as it was; however, we can hope that these children will still eagerly anticipate the beginning of each new book as they finish the last one.

But one has to wonder how many new adults will start reading  the books at this point. Have we come to the end of the mature examination of this series?  Adult fans of the Harry Potter series were forced to analyze the books prior to the release of each one.  In order to get the most out of the series, we spent hours pouring over the books to look for clues and hints to what was going to come.  This won’t be the case anymore.  Analysis will be all but unnecessary and this saddens me the most.

So now we can only hope that either JK Rowling will somehow decide to continue the Harry Potter Series or hopefully the next JK Rowling will emerge sooner rather than later.

    BALTIMORE, April 25 /PRNewswire/ — Becker Group, in partnership with
Warner Bros. Consumer Products, today announced it will bring worldwide
audiences “Harry Potter: The Exhibition,” a state-of-the-art exhibition
highlighting artifacts from the Warner Bros. films based on J.K. Rowling’s
beloved book series. The 10,000 square foot experience will premiere in
Spring 2009 in a major market, and will appear in ten or more cities around
the world throughout a five-year span.

“Harry Potter: The Exhibition” will include elaborate displays of
authentic costumes, props and artifacts from popular environments featured
in the films such as those from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
including the Gryffindor common room and Hagrid’s hut. During its run, the
exhibit will also be updated to include artifacts from the final
installments of the Harry Potter film series. The exhibition will be
displayed in major cultural and entertainment venues, museums and
institutions, and will be supported by a multimedia promotional effort and
advance ticket sales worldwide. Tour information, updates and ticket
availability will be posted at http://www.harrypotterexhibition.com as details
become available, or for more information, call 866-231-8328.

The crux of the courtcase; which is Copyright Infringement is still unfortunately on the table and has not been settled on.

So the case moved on…

David Hammer, the lead attorney for RDR, seemed to be most interested in establishing the point that the more creative a work is — a “fantasy” being perhaps the most creative genre of the novel — the more there’s a need for a reference guide to illuminate, for the reader, the unique (and non-existent) world the author has created. Sorensen testified that, historically, lexicons and reference works similar to Vander Ark’s have been helpful for readers seeking to gain a better understanding of such works as J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” and C.S. Lewis’s “The Chronicles of Narnia.” Lexicons like Vander Ark’s, testified Sorensen, can educate a reader on etymologies, mythical references, geography (real and imagined) and the vernacular and slang used by the author. She also said that reference guides written by the authors themselves aren’t necessarily the final word on their own texts, since authors can assume too much knowledge on the part of the reader.

In her cross, Cendali returned to the plaintiffs’ legal motif in the case: The H.P. Lexicon takes too much, and does too little. Cendali pressed Sorensen on the point that the Lexicon contains little interpretive analysis. Sorensen conceded as much, but said that analysis isn’t the only value a reference guide like Vander Ark’s can provide a reader.

It should also be noted that JK Rowling and Warner Brothers Entertainment Inc. put out an official statement regarding the case:

“A fan’s affectionate enthusiasm should not obscure acts of plagiarism. The publishers knew what they were doing. The problem remains that the Lexicon takes an enormous amount of Ms. Rowling’s work and adds virtually no original commentary of its own. As we’ve said in court, it takes too much and adds too little. Authors have a duty to prevent the exploitation of their works by people who contribute nothing original, creative or interpretive.”

If you are starting to feel lost in all of this legal jargon and want the laymen’s/Harry Potter fan’s version of the events, feel free to listen to our latest podcast episode, “Harry Potter Goes to Court.” We discussed the case so far, as well as the impact that it has had on the Harry Potter Fandom.

The Wall Street Journal Law Blog reports the events of today as follows:

Judge Patterson removed his glasses and addressed the court. “I’m concerned that this case is more lawyer-driven than it is client-driven,” he lamented. “The fair use people are on one side, and a large company is on the other side. . . . The parties ought to see if there’s not a way to work this out, because there are strong issues in this case and it could come out one way or the other. The fair use doctrine is not clear.”

“I’m bringing it up now so you can think about it before you get into the rest of the case,” Judge Patterson added. “Maybe it’s too late; maybe we’ve gone too far down the road. But a settlement is better than a lawsuit.”

The plea came as plaintiffs counsel Marvin Putnam of O’Melveny was cross examining a witness, an exchange that seemed to leave the lawyer frustrated and losing patience. The Judge broke in to point out that it was four o’clock, and asked Putnam how much longer he needed. Putnam apologized, and said he’d need quite a bit longer.

I don’t know about you but I am hoping that this will be as painless as possible and that the folks on both sides will strongly consider settling the case. From a purely selfish perspective, I hope that this can be resolved painlessly. I hate seeing what it is doing to the Potter author/fan/fandom relationship, which used to be looked at as a model to be emulated. Now it is starting to feel like a dysfunctional family.

What’s More Important to the Parties? Money or Passion? Yesterday, Rowling said the case isn’t about money, but about principle. One of RDR’s lawyers, Anthony Falzone, in his opening remarks said that for Vander Ark it was never about money, but rather passion. Today we got a sense of where thing stand on both fronts. According to Vander Ark, he’s made about $6,500 off his Web site — all through advertising — between 2000 and 2008.

But the most telling part of Vander Ark’s testimony came at the end of Hammer’s direct examination. Asked whether he still considered himself a part of the Harry Potter fan community — those that, in Vander Ark’s words, devote most of their free time to all things Potter, he choked up, and said, “I did.” But then, when pressed on it, he changed his answer. “I do,” he said, breaking up.

Hammer then asked him why the question was so “emotionally-charged.” Regaining his composure, and trying hard to look past J.K. Rowling, whom the plaintiffs counsel positioned directly in front of the witness stand, Vander Ark said, “It’s been difficult because there’s been a lot of criticism and that was never the intention. I understand where that comes from, but it’s difficult. The lexicon has been an important part of my life for the last 8 or 9 years of my life, and now, to have it turn into this . . . .”

This seems to be turning into an emotional roller coaster for all of the parties involved.  I wish JKR and SVA could just kiss and make up.  In a completely selfless gesture, I am offering both sides the opportunity to talk 1 to 1 without the courts getting in the ways.  Feel free to come on our podcast.  We’d be happy to have you.  In related news, yes I am delusional.

According to the Law Blog, the heart of this case is the  fair-use doctrine which according to the US Copyright Act is explained as follows:

One of the rights accorded to the owner of copyright is the right to reproduce or to authorize others to reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords. This right is subject to certain limitations found in sections 107 through 118 of the Copyright Act (title 17, U. S. Code). One of the more important limitations is the doctrine of “fair use.” Although fair use was not mentioned in the previous copyright law, the doctrine has developed through a substantial number of court decisions over the years. This doctrine has been codified in section 107 of the copyright law.

Section 107 contains a list of the various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered “fair,” such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Section 107 also sets out four factors to be considered in determining whether or not a particular use is fair:

the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;

the nature of the copyrighted work;

amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and

the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

This was discussed in detail today by JKR’s attorney:

After going through the list of correspondence that Cendali argued showed bad faith copying on Vander Ark’s part, she painstakingly detailed the four factors of fair use — the nature of the copyrighted work, the amount of the work copied, the purpose and character of the use, and the effect on the market — arguing that they don’t apply to the Harry Potter Lexicon.

Mostly, Cendali focused on the third factor, belaboring the same phrase over and over again, arguing that the Lexicon “takes too much and does too little.” In other words, she argued, unlike other Harry Potter companion books, which add commentary, analysis and research to Rowling’s work, the Harry Potter Lexicon adds nothing new or original, but merely “rearranges the furniture of Rowling’s novels.” In characterizing the Lexicon as a “reference guide,” Cendali, in her own bit of literary pilferage, concluded that RDR is attempting “to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear.”

When Stanford University’s Anthony Falzone, the inheritor of professor Larry Lessig’s Fair Use Project, took the podium, he gave comparatively short remarks, saying simply that the public will lose out if publication of the Harry Potter Lexicon is enjoined, and arguing that the power Rowling asserts over her fictional world does not translate into power she can assert over companion guides wirtten by others. “Profit was nover the point,” concluded Falzone, Vander Ark wrote the Lexicon out of passion.

As we mentioned previously, Jo took the stand today and spoke quite emotionally and passionately about her feelings on this issue.   One interesting tidbit the Wall Stree Journal offered was the following:

“Should my fans be flooded with a surfeit of substandard books — so called lexicons — I’m not sure I’d have the will or heart to continue,” said Rowling, who went on to characterize the H.P. Lexicon as “sloppy,” “lazy,” and “incorrect.”

Personally I don’t know that I would classify the HPL as sloppy, lazy, or incorrect.  I think it is a very excellent compendium  of the Harry Potter world that I have taken advantage of (and according to many previous reports, so has JKR) quite often.  Once again, I don’t know the ins and outs of copyright law and I don’t know who is in the right OR wrong here but to see the badmouthing and deterioration of fan and author relations saddens me the most.

NEW YORK – J.K. Rowling said Monday that her efforts to halt a publisher’s “Harry Potter” lexicon have been crushing her creativity.

Rowling said she has stopped work on a new novel because the lawsuit in federal court has “decimated my creative work over the last month.”

Rowling is suing RDR Books to stop publication of Steven Vander Ark’s “Harry Potter Lexicon.” She says her copyrights are being violated.

“This book constitutes wholesale theft of 17 years of my hard work,” she testified Monday.

Full article from the Associated Press

To me the biggest revelation in this story is that Steve Vander Ark is 50.  Did not realize THAT.

Well…yes, but they are also the key players in the trial which will begin this week in New York City.

The showdown between Rowling and Steven Vander Ark is scheduled to last most of the week in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

Rowling is scheduled to testify Monday in a trial that is sure to generate huge interest among Harry Potter fans and the public. Her lawyer has arranged with the judge to have a private security guard for Rowling in the courtroom and for the author to spend breaks in the seclusion of a jury room — away from any die-hard Potter fans in attendance.

I think that’s us, they are referring to.

Well, we are some die-hard Potter fans, but unfortunately we won’t be in full stalking attendance mode. But we will keep you updated on any news that surfaces.

As previously reported by Playbill.com, Daniel Radcliffe and Tony and Olivier Award winner Richard Griffiths — who played to sold-out crowds in the London revival — will reprise their work for Broadway audiences. Radcliffe will star as Alan Strang with Griffiths as Dr. Martin Dysart. Opening night at the Broadhurst is scheduled for Sept. 25, and the production will play a 22-week engagement through Feb. 8, 2009.

Good times.

WATFORD, England — It’s official: Eight will be the magic number for the “Harry Potter” film franchise.

After months of rumors, Warner Bros. and the producers of the massively successful movies will announce Thursday that they plan to split “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” J.K. Rowling’s seventh and final “Potter” novel, into two blockbuster films — one to be released in November 2010 and the second in May 2011.

The films will be titled, simply, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II,” according to producer David Heyman. Director David Yates, who returned for his second tour of Potter duty with “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and is quite popular with the cast, will direct both “Deathly Hallows” films, which will be filmed concurrently. Screenwriter Steve Kloves also returns and, by completion of the franchise, will have written seven of the eight films. 

This announcement will bring a flurry of opinions and emotions from hard core Harry Potter fans. I personally think it is a great idea and am hopeful that this means that they will stay as close to the original story line as possible. Plus, this means that there will be continued excitement until at least May 2011 for all of us Potter fans!  (hat tip to Nathalie for pointing us to this!) 

“I am deeply troubled by the portrayal of my efforts to protect and preserve the copyrights I have been granted in the Harry Potter books,” she wrote in court papers filed Wednesday in a lawsuit she brought against the small Muskegon, Mich., publisher.She said she intends to publish her own definitive Harry Potter encyclopedia. 

 “If RDR’s position is accepted, it will undoubtedly have a significant, negative impact on the freedoms enjoyed by genuine fans on the Internet,” she said.

 “Authors everywhere will be forced to protect their creations much more rigorously, which could mean denying well-meaning fans permission to pursue legitimate creative activities.”

 She added: “I find it devastating to contemplate the possibility of such a severe alteration of author-fan relations.” 

 I am still unsure how I feel about this. What are your thoughts?  

Dec. 13 (Bloomberg) — J.K. Rowling’s handwritten book of fairy tales sold for 1.95 million pounds ($3.98 million) at a London charity sale.

Sotheby’s top estimate for “The Tales of Beedle the Bard,” one of seven copies made after Rowling finished her last Harry Potter book, was 50,000 pounds. The money will go to the Children’s Voice, a charity co-founded by Rowling and Emma Nicholson, a member of the U.K. House of Lords.

The buyer was Hazlitt, Gooden & Fox, an old-master dealership with many collector clients, Sotheby’s said.

Continue Reading Article

 Wow.  Wow, wow, wow.

Dear Mr. Olbermann and MSNBC,

Last week, news outlets reported that a computer
hacker hacked into Bloomsbury Publisher’s computer and
was posting spoilers from Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows online
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6225910.stm).
Most Harry Potter related websites (including the
website that I run called Harry Potter Prognostications – http://www.hpprogs.com) reported
this story but purposely did not include any information
that the hacker revealed.  Most of us true Potter fans
have been surfing the web with our hands half covering
our eyes because we didn’t want to see any of the
spoilers.

It has been almost a week, and I hadn’t seen the hacker’s spoilers.  I sat down tonight to watch Keith Olbermann’s “Countdown” and thought I would enjoy the
segment on “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”.
Until Mr. Olbermann so cavalierly and nonchalantly
mentioned what the hacker had revealed in his
spoilers.

Mr. Olbermann said that the spoilers seemed
unbelievable.  I agree.  However; be that as it may, I
was grossly appalled at the ease in which Mr.
Olbermann revealed a major spoiler that most credible
news outlets have been avoiding for the past week. 

I can only assume I will only be one of the many Harry
Potter fans to complain about this and I certainly
hope Mr. Olbermann will take fans into account when he
delivers news segments in the future.  I am extremely disappointed
in the integrity of both Keith Olbermann and MSNBC.

Penny

Baltimore, MD

Feel free to send similar letters.  I am still angry.  Grrr.