Is J.K. Rowling the Next George Lucas, but not in a good way?

Sorry, kids. I come to you from the future, and as much as Harry Potter is this generation's iteration of Star Wars (in the size and scope of its success, fandom and merchandising), J.K. Rowling, beloved genius behind the Harry Potter septilogy, is also this generation's George Lucas. And that means you gotta take the good with the bad. The story is over, the interest the media has in following her is waning, and now she is seemingly doing everything she can to stay relevant. But making matters worse, despite being the richest person in all of England (richer than even the Queen), she's knuckling down on copyright issues. That's the nice way to put it.

The other way you could put it is that she's got enough money to sue the pants off of anybody who dares make a cent off of Harry Potter fandom without giving Rowling her cut. Cough. George Lucas. Cough.

Copyright and intellectual property are tricky issues. Take, for example, the current court case Lucas is embroiled in, wherein he is suing the guy that designed and molded the Stormtrooper outfit because he is selling $2000 replicas made from the original molds the man himself created. But because Lucas gave him notes and the design was based upon what he asked for, Lucas maintains that he owns the rights to the likeness, not the creator. A California court agreed with him, but since the guy lives in England, he's currently suing to get that ruling enforced over there. For my money, Lucas is being a total (insert expletive of choice here). The guy is making $2000 a pop off of a niche item purchased by collectors which he had a substantial part in making. And hell, after 30 years, the guy still has the molds. Let him make a living off of it, George. He did the work and it only serves to perpetuate Star Wars fandom as fans appear in public with authentic, awesome looking Stormtrooper outfits.

Rowling's case is actually a little more complicated. A 50-year-old librarian has assembled an encyclopedia detailing all things Potter. What the hell is Gillywater and where on God's green Earth is Vrasta located? Well, this handy, dandy little book will tell you. And it's something of a niche item in its own right -- something to help folks reading the books to their grandchildren, or for fans dead set on memorizing it A to Z in hopes of impressing the opposite sex with their vast comprehension of the Potterverse. But according to the judge in the case (who admits to being flustered himself when reading Rowling's dense, reference packed tomes to his own grandchildren), entire passages of the books are lifted for the lexicon, which more than just flirts with plagiarism. The question is: Does it go too far?

Works of criticism and encyclopedic layouts of popular works are far from new. Hell, If I had a nickel for every sci-fi/fantasy themed book of this kind out there I wouldn't be writing this for you folks. I'd be sitting on a tropical island somewhere reading them. Rowling owns her seven books. And she owns the characters. But she doesn't own the fandom. Tolerating books like this are part of the price of this level of success. People love the books, and fans love to consume.

If Rowling were responsible for offering just such a book or if Lucas were selling original replica Stormtrooper suits made from the original molds, then they'd have a real argument. These products would be taking money out of their pocket. But they aren't. This encyclopedia can't and won't replace the reading of any of the seven Potter books. It is supplemental to them. You would buy it in addition to the books. Rowling loses nothing. She just wants her cut.

Recommend (0) |

Comments (0) |

Email  |

Share

Share  Facebook Digg del.icio.us