A New York judge has today issued a
restraining order preventing the fan encyclopaedia, the Harry Potter Lexicon, from being published. This will remain in place until February 2008. J.K.Rowling has
updated her website with the following statement;
Quote:
This means that the book can not be completed, published or marketed until the court has had time to decide whether it would break the law if published in its present form.
I take no pleasure in the fact that publication has been prevented for the present. On the contrary, I feel massively disappointed that this matter had to come to court at all. Despite repeated requests, the publishers have refused to even countenance making any changes to the book to ensure that it does not infringe my rights.
Unless their position changes, we will all return to court next year. Given my past good relations with the Lexicon fansite, I can only feel sad and disillusioned that this is where we have ended up.
RDR Books have
claimed that the delay was voluntary which contradicts both the statements of the judge and Jo. The publishing company says;
Quote:
“It is our wish that Ms. Rowling join Mr. Vander Ark in his campaign for literary freedom and free expression by dropping her complaint against a book we are confident she would enjoy reading.”
More on the case can be read
here,
here,
here and
here.
Source:
The Leaky Cauldron