The family and estate of late author Adrian Jacobs, who wrote a short story called
Willy The Wizard in 1987 about a young magician who learns of his powers and attends a magical school, took J.K. Rowling to court in 2009 under the accusation of plagiarism. Jacobs' estate attempted to sue Rowling for £500 million, claiming that she had stolen many of the ideas for the
Harry Potter series from
Willy the Wizard.
Scholastic Inc, who published the seven-book
Harry Potter saga in the United States, have now announced that the lawsuit has been dismissed.
Quote:
Scholastic is extremely pleased that Judge Scheindlin decided to dismiss, at the earliest stage possible, the lawsuit brought against Scholastic by the estate of Adrian Jacobs. The Court's swift dismissal supports our position that the case was completely without merit and that comparing Willy the Wizard to the Harry Potter series was absurd.
Judge Scheindlin clearly agreed, stating: “…the contrast between the total concept and feel of the works is so stark that any serious comparison of the two strains credulity.” Scholastic will continue to vigorously defend any such frivolous claims challenging the originality of Harry Potter and the brilliant imagination of its author, J.K. Rowling.