at 23:52 on February 17, 2010, EDT.
By Kristen Gelineau, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


This Dec. 10, 2007 file photo shows British writer J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series of books, as she poses for photographers at a reception in central London. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Lefteris Pitarakis, file)


SYDNEY, Australia - J.K. Rowling has been named in a lawsuit alleging she stole ideas for her wildly popular and lucrative "Harry Potter" books from another British author.

The estate of the late Adrian Jacobs on Wednesday added Rowling as a defendant in a lawsuit it filed in June against Bloomsbury Publishing PLC for alleged copyright infringement, according to a statement released by the estate's representatives, who are based in Australia.

The lawsuit, filed in a London court, claims Rowling's book "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" copied substantial parts of Jacobs' 1987 book, "The Adventures of Willy the Wizard - No. 1 Livid Land." Jacobs' estate also claims that many other ideas from "Willy the Wizard" were copied into the "Harry Potter" books. Jacobs died in London in 1997.

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is the fourth book in Rowling's series and was published in July 2000.

Sydney agent Max Markson, who is representing the trustee of Jacobs' estate, Paul Allen, said Rowling was added to the lawsuit after Allen learned that the statute of limitations to sue her had not run out, as previously thought.

"I estimate it's a billion-dollar case," Markson said Thursday. "That'll be the decision of the courts, obviously."

There was no immediate comment from Rowling. In June, Bloomsbury said the allegation that Rowling lifted from Jacobs' work was "unfounded, unsubstantiated and untrue." Bloomsbury said Jacobs' estate first approached the company in 2004 with its claims, but was unable to identify any text in the "Harry Potter" books that was copied from "Willy the Wizard."

In a statement, Allen said the estate is also seeking legal advice on whether the Harry Potter films and soon-to-be-opened Harry Potter theme park breach copyright law.


©The Canadian Press, 2010

This will be fun

isn't the whole concept plagiarized?
[Edited 2/18/10 6:08am]

she's been sued unsuccessfully before from people seeking a piece of that empire.

she'll win again here.

JerseyKRS said:

she copied the story of your life didn't she, young wizard...

Wow, the truth comes out. And all this time, listening to my hardcore fundamentalist evangelical friends, I thought she'd gotten all her ideas from Satan.
[Edited 2/18/10 7:49am]

Lammastide said:

Sad. Did they do the entire book burning act and all?

HamsterHuey said:

I'm not aware they're that committed. But it wouldn't entirely shock me.

zaza said:

I don't think anyone ever thought Harry Potter was a totally original idea. But look at the other series of books that are so clearly trying to cash in on Harry Potter's success. Those are blatant ripoffs

But it happened to Dan Brown, too.

Get successful enough and someone will say they thought of it first. Like when Prince's sister sued him because she said she wrote the phrase "cookin' in my book"

If they couldn't find any part of the Harry Potter story that matched the Willy the Wizard story then what the hell are they suing for?

NDRU said:

exactly

NDRU said:

The thing is, he DID borrow heavily on the book of the two guys that sued him. The other thing is that they borrowed all their stuff also. Dan Brown is soooo boring.

I suprised nothing came of the name Hogwarts....its what David Bowie kept calling Hoggle in Labyrinth

leave JK alone

HamsterHuey said:

Come'on Angels and Demons is a greeat book!

andykeen said:

I enjoyed that book

andykeen said:

Stop pullin' me leg.

Lammastide said:

I heard Satan was out of work these days

ZombieKitten said:

I still think that IF there is such a thing as Satan (which I still think is a way of mankind to come to terms with their own brutality) then I think 'organised religion' would be the first thing he'd come up with.

"Mmmmm. I need a tool to wreck havoc, and to let one group of people terrorise and kill other groups.... heeeey! I got an idea!"

HamsterHuey said:

yes, and the people they borrowed from borrowed from someone else, and on and on...

HamsterHuey said:

don't blow his cover!!!

ZombieKitten said:

I will pray for both of your blasphemous souls!

HamsterHuey said:

I enjoyed the movie