The decision has come down in the J.K. Rowling lawsuit against the authors of the Harry Potter Lexicon, which we reported on most recently here.
Outcome: Not fair use, but copyright infringement. Judgment for plaintiff, upon a very detailed and well-reasoned opinion (on first scan). Here is the opinion.
Damages? The Court imposed statutory damages in the amount of $6,750. Presumably the plaintiffs, as prevailing parties, can also have their costs, including attorneys’ fees, though — and they will be quite a bit more.
Wand tip to Joseph Giocanda, via a LinkedIn “Q & A.”
UPDATE: This was an appeal Rowling and her publisher did not want decided. Here’s a rundown by the Stanford library’s fair use people; here’s a comprehensive link to a story summarizing how it ended up; and here’s the website of the book, full of magical incantations (disclaimers) at the very bottom.
Originally posted 2008-09-08 17:41:52. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
