Gothamist: Harry Potter Lexicon Author Breaks Down in Court

robingee

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:55:37 -0500

Eleanor Roosevelt?

Splicer

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:21:19 -0500

But #20, thinking highly of trying to ruin the experience of people reading a book leaves me underwhelmed I think it's funnier if done to grown ups than kids. Matter of fact, it's not funny at all if done to kids and borders on bully-like behavior. That said, 45 year old Potter obsessed folks can get over it.

MJG

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:59:17 -0500

splicer is right. JKR should buy the geek's stuff and give him a credit as a contributor. He probably just wants the rub of getting acknowledged by her. But #20, thinking highly of trying to ruin the experience of people reading a book leaves me underwhelmed.

fun

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:57:54 -0500

@23 lolwut???

zodak

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:45:56 -0500

wow, fun is 12 years old. shouldn't you be in school?

jaycjay

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:43:08 -0500

"Good shit." Woohoo, that is good. Because these people are nerdy, immature, and uncool... so any cool, intelligent, and mature person should pick on them to spoil their fun! I mean we all learned that in junior high: it's much cooler to be a bully than to be a nerd.

grimsb

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:39:58 -0500

Wow, this kind of reminds me of the good ol' days when Anne Rice started stalking, threatening (physically, even!) and generally harassing anyone who wrote Vampire Chronicles fanfic. http://www.thelittledrink.net/vampires/end.html But then again, nobody was trying to sell the fanfic... Batshit crazy, that woman. She lost a lot of fans over this.

TKaisen

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:18:32 -0500

Instead of suing the schnook, Rowling and her publisher should throw the guy some money, purchase the damn lexicon and edit it to their own satisfaction. There would be no reason to purchase her own lexicon, but she could have gone about this a bit differently. Once you have a billion dollars, suing a fan who you've supported makes you look petty. There's no real difference between what she thought was OK on the website and putting it down in print. What, does she think that if she puts out a lexicon book that no one is going to buy it?

fun

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:49:38 -0500

@18, Yes, there is something better than that. Being the guy who went to a bookstore during the night of a new Harry Potter release, getting access to the store loudspeaker system, and saying "ATTENTION SHOPPERS! VOLDEMORT KILLS SNAPE!" to all the fans waiting to buy the book. Almost as good as the guy who hacked a prominent Harry Potter forum and emailed all the users the spoilers to the book. Or writing the spoilers, in chalk, on the car windows of people parked outside bookstores. Good shit.

negtive

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:46:02 -0500

Only $6,500 from advertising over 7 years w/over a million visitors per month? And the pageviews on that site would be 2-3x that. So he's not even a business savvy geek--what a waste.

Splicer

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:11:07 -0500

I'm so sorry that this is my very first comment on Gothamist - I should be concerned about headier stuff than this but... Could there be anything better than a war between a hack writer and an obsessed fan? Harry Potter, like Star Trek/Wars before it, may have started out as a good idea but quickly turned into nothing more than product. It is the modern equivalent of Disney, only missing the underpaid "actors" in costumes with giant heads prancing around in 90 degree weather as spoiled children punch and kick them to their next 15 minute break. Instead of suing the schnook, Rowling and her publisher should throw the guy some money, purchase the damn lexicon and edit it to their own satisfaction. Aside from the money, I'm sure he'll be more thrilled to have his name on the cover of the book in smaller type and way under Rowling's name.

Politburo

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:47:21 -0500

"CliffsNotes makes a living off of regurgitating other people's work. How is this different?" The work in question is much more broad in scope.. CliffsNotes are just summaries and analysis.

Phil McCracken 222

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:43:27 -0500

Not for adults: skateboards Harry Potter

jaycjay

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:43:23 -0500

I'm taking that Times article with a grain of salt, since it's written by "Anemona Hartocollis." While I've never read any Harry Potter, I know one of the character names when I hear it... there's probably inherent bias in having one of the characters in the books write an article about the case.

TKaisen

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:38:25 -0500

According to Vander Ark, his website is visited by over 1 million Harry Potter fans per month, but he’s earned just $6,500 from advertising from 2000 to 2007. You're doing it wrong.

GOP

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:35:18 -0500

"In the Times article there's a picture of him with a hot red-haired woman." You must look deep within your heart and soul and redefine "hot" for yourself.

Tim N.

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:34:29 -0500

"Get a life! Move out of your parent's basements! You.. you ever kissed a girl? I didn't think so." --- William Shatner

Georgina

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:34:21 -0500

Oops. Mispelled "illegal".

Georgina

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:32:57 -0500

Having stolen someone else's ideas to create his own product for possible profit, it is ellgal. Also, he needs to get laid.

HowBoutDemCowboys

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:28:51 -0500

That's a dude? I thought it was Ms. Hathaway from the Beverly Hillbillies.

MaiaW

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:27:17 -0500

I don't get it...CliffsNotes makes a living off of regurgitating other people's work. How is this different?

Dave Hogarty

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:20:02 -0500

I wonder if Trekkies will be suing next for infringement on their level of fanaticism and geekdom. Worst, court case, ever.

eyekantspel

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:59:30 -0500

let the nerd publish his book. JK Rowling should get over herself.

zpk

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:59:10 -0500

Uh oh -- this blog entry specifically refers to events and characters that are the intellectual property of Mrs. Rowling. I pray Gothamist doesn't get sued for reproducing this material.

Peter

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:58:53 -0500

In the Times article there's a picture of him with a hot red-haired woman. Wife or girlfriend? Nah, not possible.

babyhitler

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:55:36 -0500

that dude sort of looks like harry potter, if harry potter were 40 years old and was a pedophile.

freddyhere

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:53:17 -0500

I wonder if his laptop has been seized by the authorities...

berniegoetz

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:47:31 -0500

Nerds. Nerrds. Neeeeerds. NEEEEEEERRRRRRRDDDDSSSS!!!!!!