In real life, Voldemort sometimes wins


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

Ron Coleman