How much are 800 handwritten words worth? When they're in the form of an ersatz prequel to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, nearly $50,000. On Tuesday night at a London auction house, a bid of 25,000 pounds (or $48,855) claimed someone a two-sided page on which Rowling wrote a preface to the mega-hit series of books and movies. The auction's proceeds will benefit a dyslexia charity and the writer's organization PEN. Twelve other authors and illustrators, including Nobel winner Doris Lessing and novelist Nick Hornby, offered similar short-form items for auction. Lest anyone hope that Rowling's charitible scribblings might lead to something bigger (and bound), it should be noted that the document's final 12 words were: "From the prequel I am not working on — but it was fun!" — Anna Dimond Related:• 20/20 Special Will Bewitch Harry Potter Fans• Judge Urges Rowling to Make Lawsuit Disappear
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ABC News and RDF Media Group, who recently partnered to bring 20/20 a high-rated profile of the royal family, are reteaming for a behind-the-scenes look at the life of Harry Potter auteur J.K. Rowling.An RDF crew tailed Rowling for more than a year for a piece that includes interviews, the Deathly Hallows book tour and a look at locations that inspired Potter characters and events. The 20/20 special also will offer a hint as to what's next for the beloved franchise (besides, that is, a mound of legal bills). According to the Reporter, a November sweeps airing is planned. — MWM
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Who's got an Invisibility Cloak handy? Following three days of emotional testimony, a New York judge presiding over J.K. Rowling's copyright case has urged the author to stop litigating and start settling.Judge Robert Patterson Jr. told the Harry Potter author and coplaintiff Warner Brothers that copyright infringement has a lot of gray areas in American law, and that the litigation could go on for years of appeals, according to the Reporter. "I think this case, with imagination, could be settled," he said.As previously reported, Rowling filed the suit against a publisher that plans to print the Harry Potter Lexicon, an encyclopedia compiled by Steven Vander Ark, who has a website with similar content. Vander Ark's publisher, RDR, asserts that the encyclopedia would be used for scholarly use, and would not impact Rowling's sales.If some of the publishing experts who testified at the case are any indication, the book may find plenty of readers, but probably wouldn't be making the New...
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J.K. Rowling will appear in a Manhattan court today to testify in her lawsuit against a publisher hoping to print the Harry Potter Lexicon. The Lexicon is an encyclopedia — compiled by Steven Vander Ark, who runs a website of the same title with similar content — dedicated to the magical world Rowling created in her seven wildly popular Harry Potter novels. In her lawsuit against Vander Ark's publisher, RDR Books, Rowling claims the book is simply "a rearrangement of her own material."Although RDR is not challenging Rowling's claim of copyright infringement, the judge will hear testimony to determine if the use of the material in a scholarly pursuit should be deemed legal, according to the AP. Rowling, who has previously praised the website, will testify about the multiple similarities between her texts and the planned Lexicon book. The case is expected to last most of the week. Do you think Rowling will/should win her case? Is there a difference between using the content ...
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Harry Potter fans at the edge of their seats in anticipation of the final film installment are getting two movies instead of one. Warner Brothers said Wednesday that the series' final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is so long — tallying 784 pages — that the filmmakers decided to split it into two pieces. According to the Reporter, instead of compromising the storyline with excisions or making an exceptionally long movie, the flick, to become parts one and two, will be shot back-to-back for releases in November 2010 and May 2011, respectively. J.K. Rowling's Hallows sold more than 11 million copies in its first 24 hours on bookshelves last fall, so the film version x 2 seems to = excellent profits for Warners, plus extra thrills for filmgoers (especially since teen superstar Daniel Radcliffe's signed on). Are you excited for Harry times two? Or ready for Hogwarts to wrap it up? — Anna Dimond
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