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 08 September 2008 06:02 BST

Tearful encyclopaedia author testifies in Harry Potter case

Wednesday, 16 Apr 2008 18:06
Author sued over unofficial Harry Potter reference book tearful in court
An author being sued for producing an unofficial reference book about Harry Potter broke down in tears while testifying in front of a New York court.

JK Rowling and Warner Bros have filed a suit against Harry Potter fan Steve Vander Ark and publisher RDR Books for trying to publish the 'Harry Potter Lexicon', a 400-page reference book compiled from Vander Ark's website of the same name.

The 42-year-old British author told a Manhattan court on Monday that the pressure of the case had "decimated my creative work over the past month".

But Vander Ark, 50, told the court on Tuesday that his book was intended as a celebration of Rowling's work, with the Harry Potter creator sat in front of him.

Rowling has called Vander Ark's book "sloppy" and "lazy" and said his plans to publish the lexicon amounted to "wholesale theft".

When questioned over whether he still regarded himself as a Harry Potter fan, in light of the ongoing case, the librarian tearfully replied: "I do."

He went on: "It's been difficult because there's been a lot of criticism, obviously, but... it has been an important part of my life for the last nine years or so."

He told the US district court that the encyclopaedia, initially a hobby, had come to life when RDR Books contacted him regarding a published version, which they assured him would not violate copyright law.

Vander Ark, wearing round-rimmed spectacles similar to those worn by the teenage wizard of Rowling's novels, defended his decision not to mention Rowling in the book and said his use of descriptions similar to those used by the authoress was an unavoidable result of having to use a work of fiction as a primary source.

In response to Vander Ark's testimony, a spokesman for Rowling and Warner Bros said in a statement: "A fan's affectionate enthusiasm should not obscure acts of plagiarism. The publishers knew what they were doing."

Rowling and Warner Bros are seeking to stop the publication of the book, as well as damages for copyright infringement.End of story


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