tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1028511161413354120.post4889358376359105114..comments2008-04-11T09:36:22.672-04:00Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08691684350360442014noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1028511161413354120.post-38223902130708171152008-04-11T09:36:00.000-04:002008-04-11T09:36:00.000-04:00Rowling owns the copyright on her characters. Which means any text that is published and sold for profit using her characters and her "world" are infringing on her copyright. She may grant permission for groups or other authors to use or create on the web, as is the case here. However, she is within her rights to prevent them from profiting off of her ideas. <BR/><BR/>You bring up the idea of fan fiction with your blog. In response to that issue, you may create any story using her characters you wish, so long as you are not profiting off of it in anyway. That is the definition of fan-fiction.<BR/><BR/>Without copyright laws and the enforcement of copyright laws authors would have their ideas, stories, and characters stolen abused and transmuted by pirates who are simply out looking for a profit. Once Harry Potter became a smash hit there would have been literally hundreds of reproductions and new iterations of the text were it not for copyright laws. <BR/><BR/>One of your commentors asked about the book Wicked. After 50 years if the owner/writer of a text does not renew the copyright the text then falls into a category known as public domain. It is at that point that whomever wants to go out and alter, republish, or put online a text may do so. The is what happened in the case of Frank Baum's world.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1028511161413354120.post-42140846891173517672008-01-24T11:56:00.000-05:002008-01-24T11:56:00.000-05:00Agree totally! Unfortunately however, money makes the world go round and I'm sure warner bros had a wee bit of influence on rowling. I bet they steal the idea and do it themselves so they can keep the $. What if I published an encyclopedia on a lesser known fantasy work? Would I get in trouble? Or what about the book and play Wicked? Did they have to get permission or pay royalties to the wiz of oz owners??Ninseihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12658046243165692115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1028511161413354120.post-9270379212612075622007-11-16T10:16:00.000-05:002007-11-16T10:16:00.000-05:00Well said!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com