Harry Potter & the Order of the Court: The J.K. Rowling Copyright Case and the Question of Fair Use
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Book Description
The adventures of wizard-in-training Harry Potter may have ended but the drama continues, most recently in federal court in Manhattan, where a decision has recently been handed down in the much-publicized copyright case brought by J.K. Rowling seeking to prevent the publication of a Harry Potter encyclopedia.
The case is of interest not only to Harry Potter fans but to much of the gen...
MoreThe adventures of wizard-in-training Harry Potter may have ended but the drama continues, most recently in federal court in Manhattan, where a decision has recently been handed down in the much-publicized copyright case brought by J.K. Rowling seeking to prevent the publication of a Harry Potter encyclopedia.
The case is of interest not only to Harry Potter fans but to much of the general public as well.
"Harry Potter & the Order of the Court" discusses the court's decision and its broader implications.
The case was highlighted by Ms. Rowling taking the witness stand in her first courtroom appearance. Her dramatic testimony -- offering insights into her creative process and her emotional attachment to the Harry Potter series -- is included, both direct and cross-examination.
Beyond the star presence of Ms. Rowling, the case is of general interest as it involves an important but little understood aspect of copyright law: the doctrine of "fair use." Fair use refers to situations where one is allowed to use material from a copyrighted work without seeking permission from the author, such as a book critic quoting from a novel or a music critic using a short clip of a song.
Fair use applies whether you write on paper or online. But the doctrine has taken on added importance in the Internet Age where almost all of us "publish" in one form or another, be it through creating websites, writing blogs or uploading content. And as authors or publishers, we often feel the need to quote, closely paraphrase, or otherwise use material others have created. This is where fair use comes in.
"Harry Potter & the Order of the Court" discusses fair use as it relates to the J.K. Rowling case and in terms of the broader application of the doctrine, offering many specific examples as to what likely does, and does not, constitute fair use.
The author is Robert S. Want, an attorney and editor, and publisher of NationsCourts.com, which reports on new cases in copyright and other areas of the law. There is no affiliation with Ms. Rowling or the Harry Potter books.
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