Harry Potter and the Abandoned Trademarks; Geek.com, 11/7/16

Jordan Minor, Geek.com; Harry Potter and the Abandoned Trademarks:

"Check out this list of abandoned Harry Potter trademarks.

Harry Potter and the Serpent Prince

Harry Potter and the Curse of the Dementor

Harry Potter and the Tower of Shadows

Harry Potter and the Death’s Head Plot

Harry Potter and the Shadow of the Serpent

Harry Potter and the Serpent’s Revenge

Harry Potter and the Realm of the Lion

Harry Potter and the Quest of the Centaur

Harry Potter and the Mudblood Revolt

Harry Potter and the Hogwarts Hallows

Harry Potter and the Battle for Hogwarts

Harry Potter and the Hogsmeade Tomb

Harry Potter and the Myriad Moors of Miitomo"

Vampire fever is biting hard; Sydney Morning Herald, 10/31/09

Jonathan Dart, Sydney Morning Herald; Vampire fever is biting hard:

"Hamish Fraser, a partner at Truman Hoyle law firm, warned people to not get too fired up by Halloween and start copying ideas that might belong to someone else.

It follows a case in Britain where a single mother was sent a warning letter by Warner Bros over potential copyright breaches, after she planned a Harry Potter themed dinner event.

"What probably went wrong in the United Kingdom in this case was that it might have looked, to Warner Brothers, that this woman was trying to earn money rather than having a fun night," Mr Fraser said.

"The problem is that the copyright law is what it is. If you copy the Harry Potter logo, for instance, you are almost certainly infringing copyright.''

But in a year when vampires are so popular, Mr Fraser said it will be harder for companies to suck the blood out of parties by protecting copyright - recent Twilight-themed parties have been held everywhere from Yass Valley Council Library to the Loft Bar in Darling Harbour."

http://www.smh.com.au/national/vampire-fever-is-biting-hard-20091030-hpqy.html

Harry Potter and the chamber of lawyers; Guardian, 10/26/09

Marmite Lover, Guardian; Harry Potter and the chamber of lawyers:

Warner Bros' lawyers have asked Ms Marmite Lover to rename a 'Harry Potter Dinner' at her Underground Restaurant. What alternative dishes can you suggest for 'Generic Wizard Night'?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2009/oct/26/harry-potter-halloween-warner-lawyers

Muggle lawyers ban Harry Potter feast; Guardian, 10/25/09

Anushka Asthana, Guardian; Muggle lawyers ban Harry Potter feast:

"Warner Bros has banned a woman who runs a restaurant at her home in west London from hosting a Harry Potter Night to celebrate Hallowe'en.

The owner of The Underground Restaurant, who uses the pseudonym Ms Marmite Lover, regularly holds themed evenings and for her latest event she had planned a menu of food and drink enjoyed by Harry Potter and his friends in the JK Rowling stories: from dandelion wine and pumpkin soup to Dumbledore's favourite sweets, such as mint humbugs. Guests were to be taken down Diagon Alley (the side of the house) before entering and would be met by a portrait of the "Fat Lady" to whom they would have to give a password.

However, Warner Bros has written to her warning that it owns all things Harry Potter: the "name, stylised logo, the name of the characters, themes, incidents and other associated indicia from the series of... books and films".

The letter from the company's legal and business department says: "Dear Ms Marmite Lover. While we are delighted you are such a fan of the Harry Potter series, unfortunately your proposed use of the Harry Potter properties... without our consent would amount to an infringement of Warner's rights."

Ms Marmite Lover has now renamed the event, as Warner Bros suggested, "Generic Wizard Night".

The Underground restaurant is one of the first of a new trend of "pop-up restaurants" – dining experiences operated out of people's homes and advertised via Facebook and word-of-mouth. However, the publicity it has generated also brought it to the attention of Warner Bros.

Ms Marmite said: "I understand that you need to protect the rights but this is two dinners, one-offs, from which I am not making a profit, inspired by the books and the mentions of food in them. My daughter is a huge fan, even an obsessive."

Feeling the corporate might of Warner Bros is quite a surprise for the new chef. When she hosted a Marmite night at The Underground Restaurant, with the spread included in every dish, the company was more than a little pleased. Instead of warning her about its copyright position, it made sure she was stocked up with plenty of marmite – and all for free."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/oct/25/harry-potter-lawyers-ban-restaurant

RDR Drops Rowling Appeal; Has New Book, Publishers Weekly, 12/7/08

Via Publishers Weekly: RDR Drops Rowling Appeal; Has New Book:

"RDR publisher Roger Rapoport said the new book “has a new focus and purpose, mindful of the guidelines of the court.” The $24.95 trade paperback is set to be released January 12...

He emphasized that the new book, which features material from Vander Ark's original Web site www.hp-lexicon.org, new commentary and a blend of material, "followed the road map" the judge laid out in his opinion about how a companion to the Potter books may be published without infringing Rowling's copyright. "We did what the judge told us to do," Rapoport said."

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6620114.html

Author Says ‘Harry Potter Lexicon’ Will Be Published, New York Times, 12/6/08

Via New York Times: Author Says ‘Harry Potter Lexicon’ Will Be Published:

"After months of litigation, a dispute between J.K. Rowling and the author and publisher of a Harry Potter encyclopedia has magically disappeared. On Friday, Steven Jan Vander Ark, the author of “The Harry Potter Lexicon,” a reference guide to Ms. Rowling’s best-selling boy-wizard novels, said that his book would be published on Jan. 12 after amending it to a judge’s specifications, the Associated Press reported."

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/author-says-harry-potter-lexicon-will-be-published/?scp=2&sq=rowling&st=cse

Appeal Is Filed in Potter Lexicon Case, New York Times, 11/15/08

Via New York Times: Appeal Is Filed in Potter Lexicon Case

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/15/arts/15arts-APPEALISFILE_BRF.html

Article on "fair use" defense trial over "Harry Potter Lexicon" by Ray Beckerman, Esq., in E-Commerce Law Reports, 10/08

Via Article on "fair use" defense trial over "Harry Potter Lexicon" by Ray Beckerman, Esq., in E-Commerce Law Reports:

http://beckermanlegal.com/pdf/?file=/Lawyer_Copyright_Internet_Law/ECLRbeckerman.pdf

"Harry Potter" author Rowling Wins Copyright Infringement Suit; Insufficient Transformative Use by Plaintiff, Vander Ark - New York Times, 9/8/08

‘Potter’ Author Wins Copyright Ruling: "Judge Robert P. Patterson of Federal District Court said Ms. Rowling had proved that Steven Vander Ark’s “Harry Potter Lexicon” would cause her irreparable harm as a writer. He permanently blocked publication of the reference guide and awarded Ms. Rowling and her publisher $6,750 in statutory damages...He added that he ruled in Ms. Rowling’s favor because the “Lexicon appropriates too much of Rowling’s creative work for its purposes as a reference guide.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/09/business/media/09potterweb.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss