[the_old_crowd] Re: Beedle the Bard; Lexicon

[elfundeb]

Annemehr:
> Nah, it could be way different. Fair use allows you to quote smallish
> amounts of stuff (those are technical law terms) in order to talk
> *about* it. But IF the RDR book is to reproduce the information in the
> Lexicon in printed form, it would in huge part be a repackaging for
> sale of vast amounts of copyrighted material, potentially including
> text and illustrations taken from HP books, playing and trading cards,
> games, movies, and JKR's Lightmaker site. (And the BBC article that
> Dave linked to calls it "a book version of a popular website dedicated
> to the boy wizard," though I don't know how they know that.)
>
> Of course, nobody knows for sure what the book is planned to contain,
> because RDR won't show anyone. So JKR's people and WB have no choice
> but to press ahead with their suit to keep their rights protected,
> right?

Debbie:
I read the synopsis of the complaint on the Leaky Cauldron and have to
say that most of it sounds really whiny and petty.  I don't know
enough about the scope of fair use, but it seems to me that the
Lexicon is full of information that does not merely regurgitate the
books.The argument that the Lexicon book could preempt JKR's
encyclopedia is specious, IMO.  The truth is that JKR has proved
herself so bad at remembering details and at making her details cohere
that the only value of her encyclopedia (if it is ever written) will
derive from her unique insights into her characters and what, if any,
new information it contains.  I certainly would *never* attempt to use
it as a reference.

I wonder who was the driver in this lawsuit - JKR or WB.  IIRC, it's
WB that's been most aggressive with c&ds, but they don't seem to have
that big a stake in this dispute.

Debbie
who also can't fathom why JKR wants to auction off Beedle the Bard