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JK Rowling Sued for Plagiarism
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Cinnamon
 15 Jun 2009, 18:47 #61605 Reply To Post
Poor old JKR. But I can't see these guys have a wand to stand on. And why have they waited so long?

Story here

Willy the Wizard

ETA - if you look for the book on Amazon, Willy appears to be a chimp?
This post was last edited by Cinnamon, 15 Jun 2009, 18:57
Wittering
Gweniver
 15 Jun 2009, 19:12 #61610 Reply To Post
Copyright law suits (along with all other Intellectual Property lawsuits) take a long time to come to fruition. Having worked on a case similar to this (oddly enough about another character called Willy) in my old job, it took about 5 or so years to actually go to trial and get into the press.

Its a very long process with many, many witness statements from estates (as in the case I dealt with the original author had passed some time ago), personal freinds, publishers and even book cover artists can become involed, also gathering of proof of where original ideas etc first came into play.

Gwen
"Between the times, the tempting bells were carried by eight purple horses" Frank Bornemann
slavandria
 15 Jun 2009, 21:40 #61618 Reply To Post
The book is an unheard of ' Willy the Wizard" or something like that. The author died in a nursing home, penniless. I am assuming his family is trying to go after the richest author in the world to get money to pay off the expenses. Sad.
Jen

"There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts." Charles Dickens
MLT
 15 Jun 2009, 22:51 #61622 Reply To Post
There must be more specific similarities than those mentioned in the article. Why, otherwise did they cite the fourth book in the series? The train, for example, is introduced in the first book.

I remember talking to a children's author shortly after the first Harry Potter was published. He said he didn't know what all the fuss was about. Other, better, writers had written books about schools for wizards and witches. There was no sugestion, though, that they should sue. But, of course, nobody knew how popular Harry Potter would become.
Joe 90
 16 Jun 2009, 08:46 #61647 Reply To Post
Quote: MLT, Monday, 15 Jun 2009 22:51
There must be more specific similarities than those mentioned in the article. Why, otherwise did they cite the fourth book in the series? The train, for example, is introduced in the first book.

I remember talking to a children's author shortly after the first Harry Potter was published. He said he didn't know what all the fuss was about. Other, better, writers had written books about schools for wizards and witches. There was no sugestion, though, that they should sue. But, of course, nobody knew how popular Harry Potter would become.


Judging by the number of extracts I have reviewed where a wizard/witch goes to a school for wizards/witches and there does all sorts of things with magic that would normally be done with domestic appliances (e.g. washing up) I think the writers have to hope JKR estate doesn't notice if they come into print and makes magical amounts of money.

My website
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jacobea
 16 Jun 2009, 16:55 #61715 Reply To Post
Has nobody ever noticed the similaries between Harry Potter and LotR ? Yet the Tolkein family have never had the urge to sue JKR-not that I'm aware of, anyway. It sounds like a money thing to me.
taggie01
 17 Jun 2009, 07:12 #61803 Reply To Post
I want to know what the similarities are between Harry Potter and LoTR.
I must have missed them.

Also, I remember one of my uni lecturers telling me many years ago, that there is no such thing as a contemporary new idea. They were all thought of aeons ago . . . which makes every writer since Adam a plagiarist.

The whole thing smells like money-grubbing to me. As far as I am concerned, JKR is phenomenal, if nothing else because she brought reading and magic back to children who may have lost the art of imagination.

MLT
 17 Jun 2009, 17:03 #61845 Reply To Post
Quote: taggie01, Wednesday, 17 Jun 2009 07:12
As far as I am concerned, JKR is phenomenal, if nothing else because she brought reading and magic back to children who may have lost the art of imagination.




I agree wholeheartedly. Children who had never read a book from beginning to end were suddenly devouring them and demanding more fantasy and magic. I know some head teachers banned them, but as far as I'm concerned you have to persuade a child to enjoy reading before you can expand their reading experience.
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