10 Disenchanting Lawsuits Involving ‘Harry Potter’

5Harry Potter Lexicon

Claire Field wasn’t the only owner of a Harry Potter fan site that butted heads with J.K. Rowling. In 2007, RDR Books was planning to turn the Harry Potter Lexicon website into an encyclopedia-type book that would list the spells, potions, creatures, and characters featured in the novels.Despite having previously praised the site and its owner, Steve Vander Ark, Rowling said that she had plans to publish a similar book and could not support a fan doing so “for their own personal gain.” In 2008, a Manhattan judge blocked the book’s publication on the grounds that there was not enough original commentary and the book was simply placing Rowling’s words in a different order. He also awarded Rowling and Warner Brothers $750 for each of the seven novels and the two companion books, Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. This increased the net worth of the franchise by a whopping $6,750.Vander Ark did eventually publish a shortened version of his book, with the word “unauthorized” clearly on display in the title.

4 Wyrd Sisters

There are so many “bands” these days that coming up with an original name can be difficult. This is particularly true if the band is a background feature mentioned in passing a grand total of four times. So you could forgive J.K. Rowling for not overthinking things and going with the not-too-imaginative name “Weird Sisters.” Winnipeg folk band, The Wyrd Sisters, was not in such a forgiving mood. After being offered $5,000 for the right to use the name by producers of the film, the Canadian band shot back with a $40 million lawsuit.Despite spelling the name differently, the fact that the band had been acknowledged by the film’s producers gave them some ground to accuse Warner Brothers of copyright infringement. The lawsuit lasted five years before being settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.[7]

3 Asda vs. Bloomsbury

The most important rule in business is to provide consumers with a product or service you know they want, so stocking the final Harry Potter book seems like a no-brainer. But the second most important rule is to make a profit. So when supermarket chain Asda announced that they would be selling their 500,000 copies for £8.97 instead of the recommended retail price of £17.99, things quickly got nasty. In a scathing press release, Asda accused the book’s publisher, Bloomsbury, of “holding children to ransom.” Bloomsbury threatened that Asda could be sued for libel. Then, in a move that had nothing to do with Asda’s press release or pricing, Bloomsbury decided just a few days before the book’s release to cancel the order, citing unpaid bills somewhere in the region of £38,000.Asda hit back, claiming that Bloomsbury also owed them £122,000. But with just days to go before the release of one of the biggest books in decades, Asda came crawling back with its tail between its legs. As well as paying their outstanding bills, they issued a press release apologizing “unreservedly” for their previous statement and the two companies became friends again.[8]

2 Right To Read

When releasing something as highly anticipated as a new Harry Potter book, keeping the plot a secret is paramount. So when 14 copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince were accidentally sold in Canada before the official release date, Rowling and her lawyers sprang into action. However, their legal proceedings were not directed at the store that had mistakenly sold the books but at the fans who had bought them.[9]The Supreme Court of British Columbia quickly issued an order prohibiting anyone who had purchased the book from selling, showing, or even reading the book before the official release date. This kicked off a major public debate about the “right to read.” While one side argued that, like a personal diary, people are not entitled to read a book that had not been acquired legally, the other side argued that the courts cannot prevent people from reading something they have in their possession.A similar mishap occurred with the release of the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when two distributors dispatched some copies early. In the end, no punitive damages were sought in either case.

1 Aaron Lambert
While some copies of the books have been sold before their official release date by accident, Aaron Lambert thought he could make a pretty penny by selling copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to the press over a month before its official release date.Lambert had access to the books through his job as a security guard at a warehouse and made off with two of the 10 million copies that were being stored there. Then he contacted reporters from the Daily Mirror and the Sun and negotiated deals worth a total of £80,000 (US$111,250). One of the reporters, John Askill, agreed to meet Lambert but actually planned to steal and return the books to J.K. Rowling. But when Askill tried, Lambert fired a fake gun, which led to the police showing up and arresting him.After being released on bail, Lambert then tried to blackmail the publishers. But he was arrested again and sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for theft as well as firearm and blackmail offenses.[10]