A federal judge has ruled that the Harry Potter lexicon produced by Steven Vander Ark and published by RDR Books took too much from J. K. Rowling's original works to escape the Curse of Substantial Similarity and he zapped it with his magic gavel. He awarded the author and her publishers nearly $7,000 in damages and the injunction they sought. Read more here in a New York Times article. Here's Judge Robert P. Patterson's opinion, which engages in a close reading of both works.
The publisher may appeal the decision. Meanwhile, check out Stanford Law School's page on the case here.
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