HARRY POTTER

 

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The Harry Potter books are a series of fantasy novels by British writer J. K. Rowling. Since the release of the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States) in 1997, the books have gained immense popularity and commercial success worldwide, spawning films, video games, and a wealth of other items.

 

 

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone book cover by J K Rowling

 

 

The six books to date have collectively sold more than 300 million copies and have been translated into more than 63 languages. The first volume has been translated into Latin and even Ancient Greek, making it the longest work in that language since the novels of Heliodorus of Emesa in the 3rd century AD. Due to the tremendous success of the novels, Rowling has become the richest writer in literary history. English language versions of the books are published by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom and internationally, and Scholastic Press in the United States, Allen & Unwin in Australia and Raincoast Books in Canada.

 

A large portion of the narrative takes place in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and focuses on Harry Potter's struggles against the dark wizard Lord Voldemort. At the same time, the books explore the themes of friendship, ambition, choice, prejudice, courage, growing up, love, moral responsibility, and the complexities of death, and are set against the expansive backdrop of a hidden magical world with its own complex history, diverse inhabitants, unique culture, and parallel societies.

 

Six of the seven planned books have been published, and the seventh, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,  will be released on 21 July 2007. The most recently published book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was issued in an English language version on 16 July 2005.

 

The first four books have been made into very successful motion pictures by Warner Bros. The fifth, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix began filming in February 2006, and is scheduled for release on 13 July 2007, eight days before the final book is due out.

 

 

Harry Potter film poster

 

 

 

Controversy

 

Allegations of copyright and trademark infringement

 

In 1999 N.K. Stouffer quietly began to allege copyright and trademark infringement by J.K. Rowling of her 1984 works The Legend of Rah and the Muggles and Larry Potter and His Best Friend Lilly.

 

The primary basis for Stouffer's claims lie in her own invention of Muggles, non-magical elongated humanoids of sorts and the title character of the second work, Larry Potter, a bespectacled boy with dark, wavy hair (Rowling's Potter is characterised as having all of those, though with unruly instead of wavy hair). Stouffer contended (and still does to this day) that it is not just these examples and similar names but that it is "the cumulative effect of all of it combined" with the other comparisons she lists on her real muggles website.

 

Rowling, along with Scholastic Press (her American publisher) and Warner Brothers (holders of the series' film rights), pre-empted Stouffer with a suit of their own seeking a declaratory judgment that they had not infringed on any of Stouffer's works. Rowling, through the use of expert witnesses who brought into question the authenticity of Stouffer's evidence, won the case with Stouffer's claims being dismissed with prejudice and Stouffer herself being fined $50,000 for her "pattern of intentional bad faith conduct" in relation to her employment of fraudulent submissions, along with being ordered to pay a portion of the plaintiffs' legal fees. Stouffer is currently appealing the ruling. 

 

In 2002, an unauthorized Chinese-language "sequel" entitled Harry Potter and Leopard-Walk-Up-to-Dragon appeared for sale in the People's Republic of China. The work of a Chinese ghost writer, the book contains characters from the works of other authors, including Gandalf from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and the title character from L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz. Rowling's lawyers successfully took legal action against the publishers who were forced to pay damages.

 

 

Harry Potter hogwarts school Warner Brothers.jpg

 

 

 

LINKS and REFERENCE

Official sites

Other resources

 

 

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A - Z ACTORS INDEX

 

 

 

Alec Baldwin

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Healthier alternative tastes for adventure capitalists

 

 

 

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