Now Rowling's control, was Less than 1000 posts

[Jim Ferer]

No: HPFGUIDX 180266

Shelley: "You must have misread my post- I was not criticizing
Rowling. I was backing up the thesis I had that she was controlling
the show."

Shelley: "She's maintaining her absolute control by that lawsuit."

Again, she **must** defend her copyright or lose it. 

It could be argued that Steve's Harry Potter Lexicon is fair use
because it is criticism, but that's by no means settled. (OT to this
topic: JKR and Steve should settle this. There's several ways they
could. Maybe they will.) 

The notion that JKR is stifling discussion of her work is grossly
overstated.

Shelley: "This encyclopedia would not be the rewriting of one book,
but taking details from 7 of them, and thus it could be done by
someone else without violating that copyright."

The companion books were pretty clearly criticism and thus fair use.
Why didn't JKR sue them, though, just as intimidation, if she's so
controlling? It's been done before, by others. 

The Lexicon is far more doubtful.  You speak of it as if the copyright
issues were hornbook law, but they aren't. This copyright is going to
have to be settled or tried. I hope it's settled.

There's too many examples of JKR's willingness to share her world to
count. She took a strong stance on some issues. Okay. Maybe you
disagree with her - maybe I do, too, on some points - but I think
she's earned the right to say what she thinks as forcefully as she
likes. I'm going to go with my opinion anyway, I'd be glad to tell her
I don't see something the same way she does (after I tell her what
delight she gave me). No blood, no bruises, and I think JKR is as
great as she ever was.

Jim Ferer