Copyright and Rita Skeeter ( WAS: Re: Hermione's growth)

[sbursztynski]

No: HPFGUIDX 83035

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "feetmadeofclay" 
<feetmadeofclay at y...> wrote:
> 
> That isn't against copyright law. Rita agreed to the arrangement.  
> The idea being the only freaks and struggling writers would want to 
> contribute to paper that couldn't pay them - since they get nothing 
> out of it, excepting a little pride.  Rita had little choice.  It 
was 
> her in back to the real press.
> 
> She benefited and probably made money when she sold her article to 
> the Prophet.  
> 
Sue B:

Ah, but we can't assume she did get any money for the Prophet re-
print! All we were told was that Luna Lovegood and her dad were going 
off to look for the Crumple-horned whatsit with the money Mr L had 
been paid for the article. *He* sold it. Now, copyright may be 
different in the wizard world, which is what I wondered, but in the 
real world, you can scribble on a piece of paper and it's copyright. 
You at least have to give permission for a reprint. There are 
exceptions, of course - the journalists from an Australian newspaper, 
the Age, went on strike several years ago because the paper was re-
printing their work on CD ROM and not paying them a cent, but at 
least they had been paid for the original articles and they were 
working for the paper at the time. I'd still be mad as hell if 
someone reprinted without my permission *and* made money on the deal!
Oh, well, maybe by the next book Rita Skeeter will be back on board 
at the Prophet, being a bit more careful, because Hermione still 
knows her secret.