JK Rowling Stops Work on New Book

by Anne

JK Rowling has always been incredibly lenient when it comes to the Harry Potter fandom. She loves her fans and has never tried to stifle their creativity. She has never taken action against fanfiction, Wizard Rock bands, Harry Potter podcasts, fansites, or numerous other companion volumes to her series. She had no problem with the Lexicon when it was simply a non-profit fansite....in fact, she encouraged it. The problem arises when someone like Steve Vander Ark takes JK Rowling's work and simply reprints it for profit. This encyclopedia that Vander Ark has created is not a commentary on her books. Vander Ark has simply taken JK Rowling's work, word for word, and repackaged it without proper credit to its creator. A win for Steve Vander Ark in this case will not be a win for fans. Instead, it could very well cause copyright holders to more tightly control their ownership, and it could be disastrous to fandom everywhere.