Rowling: Stop the Presses

RDR Books says a recent lawsuit to prevent it from publishing the Harry Potter Lexicon is a violation of free speech. “If they were able to stop this independent critical work, publishers and writers everywhere would find it more difficult to publish important books that benefit all of us,” says RDR.

Rowling and Warner Brothers, owner of Potter intellectual property, recently sued to stop the release of the book, which is drawn verbatim from material on Steve Vander Ark's Web site, the Harry Potter Lexicon. The lawsuit does not seek action against the Lexicon Web site, which has been operating since 2000 with the full awareness of Rowling and Warner Bros. But it does say that the book would interfere with Rowling's plans to write her own definitive Harry Potter encyclopedia, which would include new material not found in her novels.