Rowling Wins Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

A U.S. district judge ruled in favor of “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling in a copyright infringement case that pitted Rowling against devoted fan Steven Vander Ark, according to the Associated Press (AP). Rowling and Warner Bros., which owns the intellectual property rights to the “Potter” books and movies, sued Michigan-based RDR Books last year to cease the publication of a reference guide of material from the Harry Potter Lexicon Web site (www.HPLex.org), which Vander Ark operates. The site, which Vander Ark launched in 2000, is a detailed guide to the seven books in the “Harry Potter” series.