Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
J.K. Rowling In NYC Court to Stop Potter Lexicon Book
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 14, 2008
Modified Apr 14, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 14, 2008
Modified Apr 14, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is testifying in a Manhattan federal courtroom this morning against a small publisher trying to release an encyclopedia based on her work. In the past, Rowling has been supportive of the fan-based websites that explore her novels, but when RDR Books announced last fall that it would be publishing a book version of the The Harry Potter Lexicon website, Rowling filed a lawsuit claiming copyright infringement.
Lawyers for RDR Books say the encyclopedia would “provide a significant amount of original analysis and commentary,” but Rowling’s attorneys say it’s "nothing more than a rearrangement" of their client’s popular book series, which have sold more than 400 million copies, led to a $4.5 billion film franchise, and given millions of grownups a purpose in life.
Rowling also argues that the Lexicon book would undermine plans to pen her own encyclopedia and give the proceeds to charity. However, a lawyer for RDR Books, Anthony Falzone, told the Times the Lexicon is part of a long tradition of literary commentary:
For hundreds of years everybody has agreed that folks are free to write companion guides. This is the first time that anybody has argued seriously that folks don’t have the right to do that.
The controversy is causing a major rift in the Harry Potter fanbase; Melissa Anelli, who runs the Leaky Cauldron fan site, told the Times her board had voted to sever ties with the Harry Potter Lexicon site because of the lawsuit. Meanwhile, tickets to the Broadway production of Equus, in which Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe gets naked as a jaybird, went on sale Saturday to Am Ex cardholders. (The show opens September 5th.)
Photo courtesy AP/Louis Lanzano.
Tagged
broadway
copyright
court
equus
harry potter
jk rowling
law suit
testify
The Harry Potter Lexicon
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Judge temporarily halts overnight construction at NYC’s Chinatown jail
The order comes after Chinatown residents sued the city over noise, health concerns and years of planned after-hours construction.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 26, 2026 at 7:08 p.m. ET
Pressure grows on Mamdani to reform admissions to NYC specialized high schools
A former top-school official will join councilmembers and other prominent educators at an event focused on specialized high schools.
By
Elizabeth Kim
News
Pressure grows on Mamdani to reform admissions to NYC specialized high schools
A former top-school official will join councilmembers and other prominent educators at an event focused on specialized high schools.
By
Elizabeth Kim
Police search for man in Central Park sexual assault
By
Charles Lane
Rockefeller Center's 2026 Christmas tree is a 76-foot spruce from Upstate New York
By
Giulia Heyward
‘A killer cop lives here’: Brooklyn arrests raise questions about limits of free speech
By
Ben Feuerherd
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .