Rowling, her publishers, and Time Warner, the owner of the rights to the "Harry Potter" films, have taken numerous legal actions to protect their copyright. The worldwide popularity of the "Harry Potter" series has led to the appearance of a number of locally produced, unauthorised sequels and other derivative works, sparking efforts to ban or contain them. Another area of legal dispute involves a series of injunctions obtained by Rowling and her publishers to prohibit anyone from reading her books before their official release date. The injunction drew fire from civil liberties and free speech campaigners and sparked debates over the "right to read".
Legal disputes
J. K. Rowling
J. K. Rowling | Legal disputes
Yes - Rowling, her publishers, and Time Warner have taken numerous legal actions to protect their copyright. The worldwide popularity of the "Harry Potter" series has led to  locally produced, unauthorised sequels and other derivative works. Rowling, her publishers, and Time Warner, the owner of the rights to the "Harry Potter" films, have taken numerous legal actions to protect their copyright. Yes, she and her publishers, and Time Warner, the owner of the rights to the "Harry Potter" films, have taken numerous legal actions to protect their copyright. The worldwide popularity of the "Harry Potter" series has led to the appearance of a number of locally produced, unauthorised sequels and other derivative works, sparking efforts to ban or contain them. She, her publishers, and Time Warner, the owner of the rights to the "Harry Potter" films, have taken numerous legal actions to protect their copyright. Another area of legal dispute involves a series of injunctions obtained by Rowling and her publishers to prohibit anyone from reading her books before their official release date.
when did jk rowling wrote the harry potter books
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Her debut novel was written between approximately June 1990 and some time in 1995.
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who is j.k. rowling?
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A British writer and philanthropist.
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what is her full name?
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Joanne Kathleen Rowling
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who were her parents?
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Science technician Anne and Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer Peter James Rowling.
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did she get married?
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Yes -She married Portuguese television journalist Jorge Arantes in 1992 but they separated. Then she married Neil Murray a Scottish doctor in 2001
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how many kids does she have?
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3 kids - Jessica Isabel Rowling Arantes, David Gordon Rowling Murray, Mackenzie Jean Rowling
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where did she study?
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Wyedean School and College, University of Exeter.
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what are her views on religions?
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She identifies herself as a Christian; She believes in God, not magic; she is an adherent of the Church of England; believes in an afterlife, and that her faith plays a part in her books.
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what was her inspiration to write the aforementioned books?
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In 1990, while she was on a train trip from Manchester to London, the idea for a story of a young boy attending a school of wizardry "came fully formed" into her mind. Her headmaster at St Michael's, Alfred Dunn, has been suggested as the inspiration for the "Harry Potter" headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Her mother's death heavily affected Rowling's writing
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who is the book's publisher?
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Bloomsbury.
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were the books adapted into anything other media form?
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Yes - films, illustrated version, media games, board games, audiobooks
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does she donate to any charity?
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Yes - In 2002, Rowling contributed a foreword to "Magic", an anthology of fiction published by Bloomsbury Publishing, helping to raise money for the National Council for One Parent Families.
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what are her views on politics?
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centre-left political views; she donated £1 million to the Labour Party, and publicly endorsed Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown
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does she have any legal problems?
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Rowling, her publishers, and Time Warner, the owner of the rights to the "Harry Potter" films, have taken numerous legal actions to protect their copyright. The worldwide popularity of the "Harry Potter" series has led to the appearance of a number of locally produced, unauthorised sequels and other derivative works, sparking efforts to ban or contain them. Another area of legal dispute involves a series of injunctions obtained by Rowling and her publishers to prohibit anyone from reading her books before their official release date. The injunction drew fire from civil liberties and free speech campaigners and sparked debates over the "right to read".
J. K. Rowling | Legal disputes
Rowling has garnered attention for her support of the Labour Party under Gordon Brown and criticism under Jeremy Corbyn, as well as her opposition to the Conservative Party and the Republican Party under Donald Trump. She opposed Scottish independence in a 2014 referendum, and opposed Brexit during the 2016 referendum to leave the European Union. On the topic of transgender people, Rowling has opposed terms such as "people who menstruate". She said that she was a survivor of domestic abuse and sexual assault, and stated that "When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he’s a woman ...
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Introduction
Another area of legal dispute involves a series of injunctions obtained by Rowling and her publishers to prohibit anyone from distributing or reading her books before their official release dates. The sweeping powers of these injunctions have sometimes drawn criticism from civil liberties and free speech campaigners and led to debates over the "right to read". One of these injunctions was used in an unrelated trespassing case as precedent supporting the issuing of an injunction against a John Doe. Outside these controversies, a number of particular incidents related to "Harry Potter" have also led, or almost led, to legal action.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | Introduction
In June 2007, eBay filed papers with the Delhi High Court, alleging that Rowling had caused them "immense humiliation and harassment". The High Court circumvented the application, claiming that it could not make such a judgment until the case went to trial.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | Other accusations of infringement
Since first coming to wide notice in the late 1990s, the "Harry Potter" book series by J. K. Rowling has been the subject of a number of legal disputes. Rowling, her various publishers and Time Warner, the owner of the rights to the "Harry Potter" films, have taken numerous legal actions to protect their copyrights, and also have fielded accusations of copyright theft themselves. The worldwide popularity of the "Harry Potter" series has led to the appearance of a number of locally-produced, unauthorised sequels and other derivative works, leading to efforts to ban or contain them. While these legal proceedings have countered a number of cases of outright piracy, other attempts have targeted not-for-profit endeavours and have been criticised.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | Introduction
To many, Rowling is known for her centre-left political views. In September 2008, on the eve of the Labour Party Conference, Rowling announced that she had donated £1 million to the Labour Party, and publicly endorsed Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown over Conservative challenger David Cameron, praising Labour's policies on child poverty. Rowling is a close friend of Sarah Brown, wife of Gordon Brown, whom she met when they collaborated on a charitable project for One Parent Families. Entering the sphere of American politics, Rowling discussed the 2008 United States presidential election with the Spanish-language newspaper "El País" in February 2008, stating that the election would have a profound effect on the rest of the world.
J. K. Rowling | Politics
In 2015, Rowling expressed support for refugees. By 2017, a petition asking her to shelter immigrants on her property acquired over 60,000 signatures.
Politics of J. K. Rowling | European migrant crisis
J. K. Rowling has been a long-time friend of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah Brown. In September 2008, Rowling donated £1 million to the Labour Party, saying: I believe that poor and vulnerable families will fare much better under the Labour Party than they would under a Cameron-led Conservative Party. Gordon Brown has consistently prioritised and introduced measures that will save as many children as possible from a life lacking in opportunity or choice. The Labour government has reversed the long-term trend in child poverty, and is one of the leading EU countries in combating child poverty.
Politics of J. K. Rowling | UK politics
Rowling has had a difficult relationship with the press. She admits to being "thin-skinned" and dislikes the fickle nature of reporting. Rowling disputes that she is a recluse who hates to be interviewed. By 2011, Rowling had taken more than 50 actions against the press. In 2001, the Press Complaints Commission upheld a complaint by Rowling over a series of unauthorised photographs of her with her daughter on the beach in Mauritius published in "OK!" magazine. In 2007, Rowling's young son, David, assisted by Rowling and her husband, lost a court fight to ban publication of a photograph of David.
J. K. Rowling | Press
The author also suggests that Azkaban, the wizard penitentiary, is a stand-in for Guantanamo Bay. Rowling has never confirmed these interpretations in "Harry Potter"; however, when the then Chancellor Gordon Brown once asked her to endorse the Labour Party while Tony Blair was Prime Minister, Rowling refused. Rowling attacked the Blair government's policy on single parent families. She said that Labour could do "a good deal more" and then donated £500,000 to the One Parent Families charity to set an example. Rowling said that Brown's measures for children 'would have made a real difference to my family's life' when she was poor.
Politics of Harry Potter | Characters compared to George Bush, Tony Blair, and Saddam Hussein
Rowling then sarcastically tweeted that Boylan should incur public penance for her association with her. Stanford Law professor Richard Thompson Ford, a signatory to the letter, stated it should not matter who has signed because it did not mean they all endorsed the entire gamut of viewpoints and deeds of their co-signatories. Writer Bari Weiss said she was proud to stand with Rowling and the other signatories. Several of the signers also defended their letter, saying there is a very diverse group of people supporting their stand against excessive retribution by what they called the "forces of illiberalism".
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Open letter on justice and open debate
The court found in Rowling's favour, granting summary judgment and holding that "no reasonable juror could find a likelihood of confusion as to the source of the two parties' works". During the course of the trial, it was held that Rowling proved "by clear and convincing evidence, that Stouffer has perpetrated a fraud on the Court through her submission of fraudulent documents as well as through her untruthful testimony", including changing pages years after the fact to retroactively insert the word "muggle". Her case was dismissed with prejudice and she was fined $50,000 for her "pattern of intentional bad faith conduct" in relation to her employment of fraudulent submissions, as well as being ordered to pay a portion of the plaintiffs' legal fees.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | Nancy Stouffer
Rowling and her publishers have brought a series of legal injunctions to ensure the books' secrecy before their launch. These injunctions have drawn criticism from civil liberties campaigners over their potentially sweeping powers over individual freedoms. In 2003, in an attempt to maintain secrecy over the impending release of the fifth "Harry Potter" book, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", Rowling and her publishers sought and received a groundbreaking injunction against "the person or persons who has or have physical possession of a copy of the said book or any part thereof without the consent of the Claimants".
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | Legal injunctions
The books have been the subject of a number of legal proceedings, stemming from various conflicts over copyright and trademark infringements. The popularity and high market value of the series has led Rowling, her publishers, and film distributor Warner Bros. to take legal measures to protect their copyright, which have included banning the sale of "Harry Potter" imitations, targeting the owners of websites over the "Harry Potter" domain name, and suing author Nancy Stouffer to counter her accusations that Rowling had plagiarised her work. Various religious fundamentalists have claimed that the books promote witchcraft and religions such as Wicca and are therefore unsuitable for children, while a number of critics have criticised the books for promoting various political agendas.
Harry Potter | Controversies
In November 2011, in her testimony before the Leveson Inquiry, Rowling said that the "Sun" had attempted to "blackmail" her into a photo-op in return for returning the stolen manuscript.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | Blackmail
The site had hosted illegally created e-books of "Harry Potter", which Rowling had never agreed to be published. In 2005, Rowling warned her fans on her website that various "signed" "Harry Potter" memorabilia appearing for sale on eBay did not in fact use her signature. She urged her fans to protest eBay to prevent other children from being swindled. In 2007, Rowling launched lawsuits against a number of users of the site, obtaining a series of stay orders preventing them from selling her work. However eBay claimed that in her dealings with the media, Rowling had falsely claimed that her injunctions had been against eBay itself.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | Other accusations of infringement
The photo which was taken by a photographer using a long-range lens, was then published in a "Sunday Express" article featuring Rowling's family life and motherhood. The judgement was overturned in David's favour in May 2008. Rowling particularly dislikes the British tabloid the "Daily Mail", which has conducted several interviews with her estranged ex-husband. As one journalist noted, "Harry's Uncle Vernon is a grotesque philistine of violent tendencies and remarkably little brain. It is not difficult to guess which newspaper Rowling gives him to read [in "Goblet of Fire"]." In 2014, she successfully sued the "Mail" for libel over an article about her time as a single mother.
J. K. Rowling | Press
On 19 December 2019, Rowling tweeted her support for Maya Forstater, who lost her employment tribunal against her former employer, the Center for Global Development. Forstater's contract was not renewed after she tweeted "men cannot change into women", and at the tribunal she asserted that her "gender critical" beliefs should be protected under the Equality Act 2010. However, the tribunal judge ruled against her, describing her views as "absolutist". On 6 June 2020, Rowling criticised a Devex article's use of the phrase "people who menstruate" instead of the word "women". She went on to tweet, "If sex isn't real, there's no same-sex attraction.
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Transgender people
The Dutch courts ruled that the books did not constitute parody and thus were not allowed to be sold in the Netherlands. Later that year, as the Dutch translation "Tanja Grotter en de magische contrabas" was still legal in Belgium, the Flemish publishers Roularta Books decided to print 1,000 copies (and no more) in order to let people decide whether it was plagiarism, hoping that under those circumstances Rowling and her publishers would not sue. Rowling did not sue, but as there was a lot of interest in the book (Dutch people could buy the book by postal order from another Flemish publisher, Boekhandel VanIn) it was soon sold out.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | International publications
In December 2019, Rowling tweeted her support for Maya Forstater, a British woman who lost her employment tribunal case against her former employer, the Center for Global Development, after her contract was not renewed due to her comments about transgender people. The tribunal ruled that Forstater's statements about transgender people, and misgendering a person, promoted "an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment", and were not protected beliefs under the Equality Act 2010. Forstater is appealing the judgment. On 6 June 2020, Rowling tweeted criticism of the phrase "people who menstruate", and stated "If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased.
J. K. Rowling | Transgender people
Rowshan was sued for libel and found guilty, with a sentence of a fine and lashes.
Hassan Rowshan | Legal issues
Rowling stated she was proud to sign the letter to defend "open debate and freedom of thought and speech". Objections to the letter included accusations that Rowling and the other signatories had powerful means to publish their opinions, and that it was disingenuous to attempt to silence others who might offer criticism of their views. Some thought that Rowling was trying to specifically suppress criticism about her statements concerning transgender topics. After learning who also signed the letter, Jennifer Finney Boylan expressed regret over her support, and stated she would not have signed had she known who the other signatories were.
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Open letter on justice and open debate
In June 2009, the estate of Adrian Jacobs, a children's author who died in 1997, sued Rowling's publishers, Bloomsbury, for £500 million, accusing her of having plagiarised "substantial parts" of his work in writing the novel "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". In a statement, Jacobs's family claimed that a scene in "Goblet of Fire" was substantially similar to Jacobs's book "The Adventures of Willy the Wizard: Livid Land": "Both Willy and Harry are required to work out the exact nature of the main task of the contest which they both achieve in a bathroom assisted by clues from helpers, in order to discover how to rescue human hostages imprisoned by a community of half-human, half-animal fantasy creatures." They also launched a joint suit against Rowling and her publishers.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | Adrian Jacobs
In 2005, a man was sentenced to four years in prison after firing a replica gun at a journalist during a staged deal for stolen copies of an unreleased "Harry Potter" novel, and attempting to blackmail the publisher with threats of releasing secrets from the book. Then in 2007 Bloomsbury Publishing contemplated legal action against the supermarket chain Asda for libel after the company accused them of overpricing the final "Harry Potter" novel, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | Introduction
His guest, "Entertainment Weekly" Senior Editor Tina Jordan, called his "indoctrination" claims "a shallow argument", saying "indoctrination is a very strong word" because "we all know gay people, whether we know it or not." O'Reilly continued the following day saying that the real problem is Rowling is teaching "tolerance" and "parity for homosexuals with heterosexuals". His guest Dennis Miller said that tolerance was good and didn't think you could indoctrinate a child into being gay. Zenit, a news agency dedicated to promoting the message of the Catholic Church, accused Rowling of betraying her readers by disclosing Dumbledore's sexuality, and said Rowling is the wealthiest woman in Britain thanks to the lack of political, social or moral propaganda in her books.
Politics of Harry Potter | Education versus indoctrination
The British author J. K. Rowling, known for writing "Harry Potter" and other Wizarding World works, has a variety of political views. Rowling stated in 2000 that she is left-wing and said "there is a certain amount of political stuff in ["Harry Potter"]. But I also feel that every reader will bring his own agenda to the book. People who send their children to boarding schools seem to feel that I'm on their side. I'm not. Practicing Wiccans think I'm also a witch. I'm not." In 2002, she said her biggest literary influence was muckraker Jessica Mitford, whom she described as a "self-taught socialist".
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Introduction
Rowling was critical of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party.
Politics of J. K. Rowling | UK politics
On 6 January 2011, the US lawsuit against Scholastic was dismissed. The judge in the case stated that there was not enough similarity between the two books to make a case for plagiarism. In the UK courts, on 21 March 2011, Paul Allen, a trustee of the Jacobs estate, was ordered to pay as security to the court 65% of the costs faced by Bloomsbury and Rowling, amounting to over £1.5million, to avoid the claim being struck out. It was reported in "The Bookseller" that Paul Allen has appealed against paying this sum. As a condition of the appeal, he paid £50,000 to the court in May 2011.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | Adrian Jacobs
Rowling's employment at Amnesty International made her realise that "imagination is what allows us to empathise with people who have suffered horribly and to act on their behalf." The danger of inaction, Rowling said, comes from people who "prefer not to exercise their imaginations at all."
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Amnesty International
The literary estate of J.R.R. Tolkien has declared that "There and Back Again" is an infringement upon their rights to "The Hobbit"; Murphy has stated that, although she disagrees, and considers it to be a transformative work of feminist commentary, the book's publication has been discontinued so as to obviate further dispute.
There and Back Again (novel) | Legal issues
Among Greenwood's specialities were Harry Potter books, leading, on one occasion, to an argument with the series' author J. K. Rowling. "I had bought a lot at Sothebys. It was a drawing Rowling had done of a little boy. Also there was a hand-coloured invitation to Rowling's daughter's 2nd birthday party (before Rowling's success, when she was living in Leith) and a list she had made of potential character names for the first Harry Potter book. When I put this on eBay, Rowling's literary agents demanded they be removed from sale due to 'breach of copyright.' I argued there was no breach of copyright if no pictures of the items appeared and so I sold them without images instead.
Adrian Greenwood | Disagreement with J. K. Rowling
In 2003, legal pressure from "Harry Potter"'s publishers led an Indian publisher to stop publication of "Harry Potter in Calcutta" by Uttam Ghosh; a work in which Harry meets figures from Bengali literature. The case was settled out of court. Also in 2003, courts in the Netherlands prevented the distribution of a Dutch translation of "Tanya Grotter and the Magical Double Bass", the first of Dmitri Yemets' popular Russian series about a female apprentice wizard. Rowling and her publishers sued, arguing that the Grotter books violate copyright law. Yemets and his original Moscow-based publishers, Eksmo, argued that the books constitute a parody, permitted under copyright.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | International publications
The way you vote, the way you live, the way you protest, the pressure you bring to bear on your government, has an impact way beyond your borders. That is your privilege, and your burden." The Presidential Medal of Freedom was allegedly refused to be awarded to Rowling under George W. Bush, because her writing "encouraged witchcraft". This was claimed by Matt Latimer, a former speechwriter for Bush, who went on to write a memoir about his time in the administration, although then First Lady Laura Bush had declared a fondness for the books.
Politics of J. K. Rowling | US politics
Stouffer also drew a number of other comparisons, such as a castle on a lake, a receiving room and wooden doors. Portions of "Rah" were originally published in booklet form in 1986 by Ande Publishing Company, a company founded by Stouffer together with a group of friends and family. Ande Publishing filed for bankruptcy in September 1987 without selling any of its booklets in the United States or elsewhere. Rowling has stated that she first visited the United States in 1998. Rowling, along with Scholastic Press (her American publisher) and Warner Bros. (holders of the series' film rights), pre-empted Stouffer in 2002 with a suit of their own seeking a declaratory judgment that they had not infringed on any of Stouffer's works.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | Nancy Stouffer
Bloomsbury countered with a statement of its own, saying that "This claim is without merit and will be defended vigorously," and that Rowling "had never heard of Adrian Jacobs nor seen, read or heard of his book "Willy the Wizard" until this claim was first made in 2004, almost seven years after the publication of the first "Harry Potter" book." The Jacobs estate, driven by his son and grandson, have published a website with details and excerpts from the book, according to the "Toronto Star". In July 2010, the estate filed suit against Rowling's American publisher, Scholastic, demanding that the company burn all copies of "Goblet of Fire".
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | Adrian Jacobs
In their May 2004 issue, the US Army publication "The Preventive Maintenance Monthly", which instructs soldiers on how to maintain their equipment, featured a spoof comic based on "Harry Potter", featuring a character named Topper who resided at Mogmarts School under Professor Rumbledore. The publication received notice from Rowling's lawyers that the comics breached copyright, though the magazine's editor, Ken Crunk, claimed that no violation had taken place, as "[t]he drawings do not look like any of the characters from "Harry Potter"". After a discussion with Rowling's representatives, the magazine agreed not to use the characters again. In 2004, Rowling and Time Warner launched legal actions against bazee.com, now the Indian branch of the online auction site eBay.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | Other accusations of infringement
The books continue to be published in Russia and have spawned several sequels.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | International publications
Rowling has publicly opposed the labelling of children's books as "age appropriate".
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Age branding of children's books
On 22 October 2015, a letter was published in "The Guardian" signed by Rowling (along with over 150 other figures from arts and politics) opposing the cultural boycott of Israel, and announcing the creation of a network for dialogue, called Culture for Coexistence. Rowling later explained her position in more detail, saying that although she opposed most of Benjamin Netanyahu's actions she did not think the cultural boycott would bring about the removal of Israel's leader or help improve the situation in Israel and Palestine.
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Israel
Rowling expressed her opposition to Mexico City Policy, when it was reinstated by Donald Trump, and said that she supported abortion rights, especially in Third World countries.
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Abortion
Neil Blair, Rowling’s lawyer, said the Harry Potter downloads were 'unauthorised and unlawful'...Rowling's novels aren't the only ones to be available from Scribd. A quick search throws up novels from Salman Rushdie, Ian McEwan, Jeffrey Archer, Ken Follett, Philippa Gregory, and J.R.R. Tolkien."
Scribd | Accusations of copyright infringement
In October 2020, "Private Eye" criticised English PEN for not speaking out in defence of J. K. Rowling, after attacks on her by transgender rights activists:Thousands of Twitter users wish an author dead. Others send her rape-threats. "Newsweek" reports that burnings of her books are being shared on TikTok ... In 2013, Rowling gave English PEN, which defends freedom of speech, a "Harry Potter" first edition that was auctioned for £150,000. Last week, the "Eye" asked PEN repeatedly whether it defended her against the campaign of intimidation. All PEN would say was that it was "following the situation closely".
English PEN | English PEN's Response to Transgender Activist Attacks on J. K. Rowling
The United Kingdom's domestic abuse commissioner Nicole Jacobs formally advised "The Sun" that it was unacceptable "to repeat and magnify the voice of someone who openly admits to violence against a partner". In December 1993, Rowling and her then infant daughter moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, to be near Rowling's sister with three chapters of what would become "Harry Potter" in her suitcase. Seven years after graduating from university, Rowling saw herself as a failure. Her marriage had failed, and she was jobless with a dependent child, but she described her failure as liberating and allowing her to focus on writing.
J. K. Rowling | Marriage, divorce, and single parenthood
As a resident of Scotland, Rowling was eligible to vote in the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence, and intended to vote "No". She donated £1 million (US$1,694,000) to the Better Together anti-independence campaign, led by former neighbour and friend Alistair Darling, and used the "Death Eaters" characters from her "Harry Potter" series—who reject wizards unless they have pure blood—as a reference in her blog-post explanation of her donation; Rowling's words are: "However, when people try to make this debate about the purity of your lineage, things start getting a little Death Eaterish for my taste." In Rowling's post-donation blog post in mid-June 2014, she explained that she is "friendly" with members of both campaigns and stated a belief that "there are intelligent, thoughtful people on both sides of this question".
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Scottish independence campaign
The Privy Council overturned the Court of Appeal judgment, ruling the minister had wider powers to make the decision than the Court of Appeal allowed, meaning that Rowling's decision at the time complied with the law.
Takaro Properties Ltd v Rowling | Held
During his marriage, Flitcroft had two affairs, one with a nursery nurse and the second with a lap dancer. After a disagreement with one of the women, the media began to pursue the story, so Flitcroft took out a High-Court injunction, banning media coverage of the affairs. After a long legal battle, during the 2001–02 season Flitcroft was unmasked in the newspapers. The lawsuit resulting from this allegation, presided over by Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf, was notable for the way it weighed personal privacy rights against the right to freedom of expression under the European Convention on Human Rights (applicable since the Human Rights Act 1998 came into force in 2000).
Garry Flitcroft | Legal cases
In June 2016, Rowling opposed Brexit and campaigned for the United Kingdom to stay in the European Union, in the run up to the referendum to leave the European Union, stating on her website that, "I'm the mongrel product of this European continent and I'm an internationalist. I was raised by a Francophile mother whose family was proud of their part-French heritage ... My values are not contained or proscribed by borders. The absence of a visa when I cross the channel has symbolic value to me. I might not be in my house, but I'm still in my hometown." Rowling expressed concern that "racists and bigots" were directing parts of the Leave campaign.
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Brexit
On 26 December 2001, Rowling married Neil Murray (born 30 June 1971), a Scottish doctor, in a private ceremony at her home, Killiechassie House, in Scotland. Their son, David Gordon Rowling Murray, was born on 24 March 2003. Shortly after Rowling began writing "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", she ceased working on the novel to care for David in his early infancy. Rowling is a friend of Sarah Brown, wife of former prime minister Gordon Brown, whom she met when they collaborated on a charitable project. When Sarah Brown's son Fraser was born in 2003, Rowling was one of the first to visit her in hospital.
J. K. Rowling | Remarriage and family
She could no longer afford a lawyer, so argued her own case in front of the Judicial Committee on 1 October 1932. A month later, on 3 November 1932, the Judicial Committee dismissed her appeal. Lord Atkin gave the decision for the Committee. He stated that evidence presented on the basis of literary criticism is not admissible in a court of law, and upheld the decisions of the lower courts.
Florence Deeks | Legal struggles
Stouffer later asserted that any copies of the book published by Thurman House are unauthorized because the publisher failed to honour its contractual obligations to her.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | Nancy Stouffer
The claim was formally struck out in July 2011 after the deadline for Allen's initial payment was missed.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | Adrian Jacobs
Robinson has engaged in strategic free speech litigation before the UK Supreme Court, the European Court of Human Rights. She has challenged obscenity convictions in Indonesia. With Geoffrey Robertson QC, she acted in the first application before the UK Supreme Court, popularly known as the "alphabet soup" case, where they were successful in overturning reporting restrictions in anti-terrorist asset freezing cases in Mohammed Jabar and Others v HM Treasury [2010] UK SC 1. She also acted in the first application, before the UK Supreme Court intervened on behalf of media defence organisations in the Max Mosley case before the European Court of Human Rights.
Jennifer Robinson (lawyer) | Career
On 31 October 2007, Warner Bros. and Rowling sued RDR Books to block the book's publication. Rowling, who previously had a good relationship with Vander Ark, reiterated on her website that she plans to write a "Harry Potter" encyclopedia, and that the publication of a similar book before her own would hurt the proceeds of the official encyclopedia, which she plans to give to charity. A judge later barred publication of the book in any form until the case was resolved. In their suit, Rowling's lawyers also asserted that, as the book describes itself as a print facsimile of the Harry Potter Lexicon website, it would publish excerpts from the novels and stills from the films without offering sufficient "transformative" material to be considered a separate work.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. v. RDR Books | Pre-trial
Actress Noma Dumezweni initially expressed support for Rowling but rescinded her stance following backlash. Radcliffe responded on behalf of The Trevor Project, writing: "Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I." Rowling later published an essay on her website in response to the criticism. She said that she was a survivor of domestic abuse and sexual assault, and stated that "When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he’s a woman ...
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Transgender people
In a statement released to the media, Rowling responded favorably to the verdict: I took no pleasure at all in bringing legal action and am delighted that this issue has been resolved favorably. I went to court to uphold the right of authors everywhere to protect their own original work. The court has upheld that right. The proposed book took an enormous amount of my work and added virtually no original commentary of its own. Many books have been published which offer original insights into the world of Harry Potter. The Lexicon just is not one of them. The Stanford Law School fair use project, which had represented RDR, said,
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. v. RDR Books | Reaction
Blair stepped down shortly before the release of Rowling's seventh book, and Brown was appointed Prime Minister. Rowling subsequently donated £1 million to the Labour Party during the 2010 general election which Labour lost.
Politics of Harry Potter | Characters compared to George Bush, Tony Blair, and Saddam Hussein
While the series is legally published in Russia, it is not available in translation due to a lawsuit on behalf of J. K. Rowling and Time Warner. Having failed to obtain a cease and desist order in Russia, Rowling and Time Warner targeted publication in the Netherlands, where first translations of international editions are commonly published. In 2003, courts there prevented the distribution of a Dutch translation of the first in the series, "Tanya Grotter and the Magical Double Bass", after Rowling and Time Warner's lawyers issued a cease and desist order, arguing that the Grotter books violated copyright law, specifically infringing Rowling's right to control derivative works.
Tanya Grotter | Legal history
RDR Books’ defense team, which includes solo San Francisco practitioner, Lizbeth Hasse of the Creative Industry Law Group, solo New York practitioner David Hammer, and the Fair Use Project at Stanford University Law School, has replied to the suit, arguing: Rowling stated that her efforts to halt the publishing of the Lexicon have been crushing her creativity, and said that she was not sure if she has "the will or the heart" to now publish her own encyclopedia.
The Harry Potter Lexicon | Lawsuit
In November 2002, the Bashu Publishing House, in the southwestern city of Chengdu, agreed to pay a £1,600 (US$3,400) fine and publish an apology in China's "Legal Times" for printing and distributing the novel. As of 2007, the identity of the anonymous "author" has not been discovered. The opening of "Harry Potter and Bao Zoulong", translated into English, was included in several news articles. As of 2007, it is estimated that there are fifteen million copies of fraudulent "Harry Potter" novels circulating in China. In 2007, Rowling's agents, the Christopher Little Literary Agency, began to discuss the possibility of legal proceedings concerning a fake version of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" that appeared in China ten days before the actual book's publication.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | International publications
Rowling was recognised with the Order of the Forest for demanding that 16 publishers around the world print her books using "eco-friendly" papers. The last book in the Potter series is considered within the industry to be the most environmentally friendly in publishing history. In 2008, Rowling blocked the Finnish publication of her latest Harry Potter novel on paper from Finland because it lacked the ecologically friendly certification she favours.
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Green values
MediaMinder states, "This is a right they [the copyright owner] have as an author or owner of the work. No copyright owner has to allow fan fiction or even tolerate it." Fanlore has a list of Professional Author Fanfic Policies that includes authors who support and authors who discourage fan fiction of their works. J. K. Rowling has also complained about sexually explicit Harry Potter fan fiction. However, lawyers on behalf of Ms. Rowling specifically noted that she has "no complaint about innocent fan fiction written by genuine Harry Potter fans" and she "is happy for spin-offs to be published online as long as the publications are not sold and it is made clear she was not involved in the stories", under the condition that they do not contain pornography or racism.
Legal issues with fan fiction | Authors
David Cameron's promise of tax perks for the married, on the other hand, is reminiscent of the Conservative government I experienced as a lone parent. It sends the message that the Conservatives still believe a childless, dual-income, but married couple is more deserving of a financial pat on the head than those struggling, as I once was, to keep their families afloat in difficult times. Rowling praised Brown in a 2009 "Time" magazine essay saying she "still wanted him in charge". Rowling wrote about what it meant to be British saying, "It means a welfare state of which we should be fiercely proud and a tradition of tolerance and free speech we should defend to our last collective breath." Rowling also praised the National Health Service (NHS).
Politics of J. K. Rowling | UK politics
Bardsley was found guilty at Bolton Crown Court of four charges of child cruelty on 23 January 2007, and on 23 February was given an eight-month suspended sentence for two years at Manchester Crown Court.
Lizzy Bardsley | Legal issues
In addition to case law, there are numerous notable examples of authors and publishers refusing to print work out of fear of libel suits. Several novels have been cancelled or altered after threats of libel suits. UK Prime Minister John Major sued several periodicals, including Simon Regan's "Scallywag", and "New Statesman", over stories about an alleged affair with caterer Clare Latimer; "Scallywag" closed afterwards. It was later revealed that Major had a real affair with MP Edwina Currie. Latimer claimed Downing Street had used her as a decoy to confuse the press.
English defamation law | Cases not in court
In April 2009, she announced that she was withdrawing her support for Multiple Sclerosis Society Scotland, citing her inability to resolve an ongoing feud between the organisation's northern and southern branches that had sapped morale and led to several resignations.
J. K. Rowling | Multiple sclerosis
By September 2015, she had been granted refugee status and has begun to sue 11 organisations. In March 2016, she initiated a court case against the Irish State for "alleged trespass, assault and battery; alleged negligence; and alleged reckless and intentional infliction of emotional harm and suffering".
Ms Y | Court case
then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside", while stating that most trans people were vulnerable and deserved protection. These views have been praised by some feminists and criticised by organisations including GLAAD and Mermaids.
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Introduction
In October 2020, the British satirical magazine, Private Eye, criticised the Society of Authors for its failure to stand up for J. K. Rowling, after attacks on her by transgender rights activists: Thousands of Twitter users wish an author dead. Others send her rape-threats. "Newsweek" reports that burnings of her books are being shared on TikTok ... The Society of Authors officially opposes in the "strongest terms any attempt to stifle or control the author's voice whether by censorship, imprisonment, execution, hate speech, or inappropriate trolling". The Society, when asked if it opposes the hatred and trolling of Rowling, failed to return calls.
Society of Authors | Controversy
According to Philip Nel of Kansas State University, the Potter series can be seen as "political novels that critique racism and racial superiority. Rowling, who worked for Amnesty International, evokes her social activism through Hermione's passion for oppressed elves and the formation of her "Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare." Dobby the house elf has been compared to the labour lawyer Dobby Walker who introduced Rowling's heroine, Jessica Mitford, to the Communist Party. Hermione is depicted as starting a campaign to emancipate the enslaved House elves, using the methods of real-world campaigns on social and political issues such as badges with slogans.
Politics of Harry Potter | Social activism
In 2015 Mr Elferink, then NT Attorney-General, reportedly told a Labor politician during a parliamentary debate he was "really tempted to give her a slap right now, figuratively speaking,". Mr Elferink apologised for his reaction saying the comment was "unwise" and only expressed it in the figurative sense meaning a rebuke.
John Elferink | Minor controversy
Lara Comi hired her mother as personal assistant at her office in the European Parliament and she was sanctioned for that legal problem.
Lara Comi | Legal problems
Irving's decision to file his lawsuit in the English courts gave him the upper hand by shifting the burden of proof. Under American libel law, a public figure who claims to have been libelled must prove that the statements in question are defamatory and false, and were made with actual malice or with reckless disregard for their truth or falsity. Reliance on reliable sources (even if they prove false) is a valid defence. English libel law requires only that the claimant show that the statements are defamatory. The burden of proof falls on the defendant to prove that the statements were substantially true and reliance on sources is irrelevant.
Irving v Penguin Books Ltd | Legal issues
In 2018, Rowling tweeted that she was tired of "blood and soil ethno-nationalists marching with" civic campaigners. She also said that Scottish nationalism "contains traces of bigotry".
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Scottish nationalism
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. and J. K. Rowling v. RDR Books, 575 F.Supp.2d 513 (SDNY 2008) was a copyright lawsuit brought on 31 October 2007 by the media company Warner Bros. and "Harry Potter" author J. K. Rowling against RDR Books, an independent publishing company based in Muskegon, Michigan. Lawyers for Rowling and Time Warner argued that RDR's attempt to publish for profit a print facsimile of "The Harry Potter Lexicon", a free online guide to the "Harry Potter" fictional universe, constituted an infringement of their copyright and was not protected by the affirmative defense of fair use. The trial was held from 14–17 April 2008 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. v. RDR Books | Introduction
Thompson was alleged to have assaulted two women in a Cork City pub on 25 February 2018, in violation of Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997. A section 2 charge carries a maximum sentence of six months' imprisonment. On 1 May 2019, Thompson pled guilty to assaulting Jennifer Coakley. On 25 June 2019, Thompson pleaded guilty to the two assaults from 25 February 2018 and was ordered by the court to pay €6,000 to cover charitable donations and the expenses of the victims or face jail if they are not paid.
Ashling Thompson | Legal issues
While many describe the books as secular or Satanic, many writers, including Rowling herself, have gone to great lengths to demonstrate that the books actively promote Christian values. Rowling attended a Church of Scotland congregation while writing "Harry Potter" and her eldest daughter, Jessica, was baptised into that faith. "I go to church myself", she told MTV in 2007, "I don't take any responsibility for the lunatic fringes of my own religion". In 2000, when asked if she was a Christian by journalist Max Wyman of "The Vancouver Sun", she replied: Yes, I am, which seems to offend the religious right far worse than if I said I thought there was no God.
Religious debates over the Harry Potter series | Christianity in the novels
In July 2020, Rowling signed an open letter published in "Harper's Magazine" titled "A Letter on Justice and Open Debate," with 150 other public figures, largely writers and academics. The letter states in part, "The free exchange of information and ideas, the lifeblood of a liberal society, is daily becoming more constricted", criticises "a vogue for public shaming and ostracism" and "a blinding moral certainty", warns of fear spreading in the arts and media, and denounces President Donald Trump as "a real threat to democracy". The letter sparked much debate about cancel culture (public criticism calling for censure of prominent people over their controversial actions or opinions).
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Open letter on justice and open debate
Takaro Properties Limited v Rowling [1987] UKPC 34 is a cited case in New Zealand regarding negligence by the government
Takaro Properties Ltd v Rowling | Introduction
During this period, Rowling was diagnosed with clinical depression and contemplated suicide. Her illness inspired the characters known as Dementors, soul-sucking creatures introduced in the third book. Rowling signed up for welfare benefits, describing her economic status as being "poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless." Rowling was left in despair after her estranged husband arrived in Scotland, seeking both her and their daughter. She obtained an Order of Restraint, and Arantes returned to Portugal, with Rowling filing for divorce in August 1994. She began a teacher training course in August 1995 at the Moray House School of Education, at Edinburgh University, after completing her first novel while living on state benefits.
J. K. Rowling | Marriage, divorce, and single parenthood
"The Casual Vacancy" features a range of social issues, including rape, racism, heroin and marijuana use, pornography, domestic abuse, child abuse, self-harm and suicide. Sukhvinder Jawanda is often berated by her mother, Parminder, and will resort to self-harm. Andrew Price, along with his brother Paul, suffer child abuse from their father Simon Price during the novel. "The New Yorker" questioned Rowling whether this represented her difficult childhood and relationship with her father, Rowling replied "Andrew's romantic idea that he'll go and live among the graffiti and broken windows of London—that was me. I thought, I have to get away from this place.
The Casual Vacancy | Social issues
The closest you could come is to say, 'How do you feel about your children?'" Rowling also revealed that the lawsuit has "decimated her creative work" over the prior month, causing her to cease work on a new novel. In his testimony, Vander Ark said that he too had had reservations about publishing the encyclopedia and that the publishing company had talked him into it. "It's been difficult because there has been a lot of criticism, obviously, and that was never the intention. ... This has been an important part of my life for the last nine years or so," he said.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. v. RDR Books | Trial
The radical feminist Julie Bindel stated that Rowling has always been a feminist and has inspired people "to look into issues of sex-based discrimination".
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Transgender people
You do not have the right to decide what everyone else's children are exposed to. So that's how I feel about it". "Practicing Wiccans think I'm also a witch", Rowling told "Entertainment Weekly" in 2000. "I'm not."
Religious debates over the Harry Potter series | Rowling's response
The right-wing U.S. John Birch Society has objected to Rowling's books and her public statements. In his article for the John Birch Society's magazine "The New American", Constitution Party Communications Director Steve Bonta compared "Harry Potter" negatively to "The Lord of the Rings", saying, "The Potter books read in places like diatribes against the modern middle class, especially whenever Harry confronts his ludicrously dysfunctional and downright abusive adopted family, the Dursleys."
Politics of Harry Potter | Conservative objections to liberal and socialist values
then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside", while stating that most trans people were vulnerable and deserved protection. She also wrote that many women consider terms like "people who menstruate" to be demeaning. Among those who disputed the claims in Rowling's essay were Mermaids, a charity organisation for gender non-conforming children, who refuted the notion that trans people are predatory, and CEO of GLAAD Sarah Kate Ellis who said it could create a dangerous environment for the trans community. However, she has received support from actors Robbie Coltrane and Brian Cox, and some feminists such as Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Transgender people
This case makes it highly unlikely that a government minister could owe someone a duty of care. Whilst this case will often be contrasted with the case Meates v Attorney-General[1983] NZLR 308 where a Minister was held to owe a duty of care, this decision was made at the lower level of the Court of Appeal.
Takaro Properties Ltd v Rowling | Legal Significance
In October 2010, she was named the "Most Influential Woman in Britain" by leading magazine editors. Rowling has supported multiple charities, including Comic Relief, One Parent Families, and Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain, as well as launching her own charity, Lumos.
J. K. Rowling | Introduction
While copyright law does provide copyright owners with a basket of exclusive rights, the right to prohibit reading is not among them. In fact, copyright law has very little to say about what people can do with a book once they have purchased it." Free-speech activist Richard Stallman posted a statement on his blog calling for a boycott until the publisher issued an apology to the public. Solicitors Fraser Milner and Casgrain, who represented Raincoast and formulated the legal argument for the embargo, have rebutted this, saying that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms applies only to the government, not to private litigation, and does not offer any protection of the right to read in any case, and the innocent purchasers of the "Harry Potter" book had no more right to read it than if they had come into possession of someone's secret diary.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | Legal injunctions
In September 2020, the British author, Amanda Craig was dropped as a competition judge after signing a letter to "The Sunday Times" in defence of J. K. Rowling. According to The Bookseller: "Myslexia"'s decision has provoked controversy on social media; the publication issued a statement to say, while supportive of any woman's right to free speech, "if a "Mslexia" judge expresses views that threaten to undermine "Mslexia"’s climate of welcome and inclusivity, we will always ask her to step down from that role". Craig has said she is "very disappointed" by the decision taken after her involvement protesting "relentless bullying and death threats to a fellow author".
Mslexia | Controversy
"" noted that Rowling admires Roddy Doyle and Jane Austen, saying "both of whom write about class distinctions," and asked if the reason Rowling wrote about class was a conscious decision. Rowling replied, "kids are acutely aware of money—before they're aware of class. A kid isn't really going to notice how another kid holds his knife and fork. But a kid will be acutely aware that he doesn't have pocket money. Or that he doesn't have as much pocket money. I think back to myself at 11. Kids can be mean, very mean. So it was there in Ron not having the proper length robes, you know? And not being able to buy stuff on the trolley.
Politics of Harry Potter | Class distinctions
Yemets and his Moscow-based publishers, Eksmo, argued unsuccessfully that the book constituted a parody, permitted under copyright. Later that year, as the Dutch translation "Tanja Grotter en de magische contrabas" was still legal in Belgium, the Flemish publishers Roularta Books decided to print 1,000 copies (and no more) in order to let people decide whether it was plagiarism, hoping that under those circumstances Rowling and her publishers would not sue. Rowling did not sue, but as there was a lot of interest in the book (Dutch people could buy the book by postal order from another Flemish publisher, Boekhandel VanIn), it was soon sold out.
Tanya Grotter | Legal history
She was criticised in the Peat Report on the proceedings. In the 2006 New Year Honours, she was made a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) and remains solicitor for the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex.
Fiona Shackleton | Legal career
In 2006, Rowling criticised models on her website, describing that their "only function in the world appears to be supporting the trade in overpriced handbags and rat-sized dogs." In response to criticism over the connotations of weight within "Harry Potter", Rowling responded that "Harry Potter" characters who are "on the plumper side" include "several of my most important, admirable and loveable characters". She linked to a fan website – MuggleNet – that lists seven characters who are "fat and good", three who are "fat and bad" and claims there are none who are "fat and evil". However, there were skinny and evil characters in the series.
Politics of J. K. Rowling | Eating disorders
If the defence could not prove the defamatory content of her words to be true, they would be found guilty of libel. Lipstadt feared that such a verdict would confer legitimacy upon Irving's claims and felt compelled to defend herself. One commentator, who had expressed the opinion that Irving "could have been ignored", later wrote "Lipstadt had no choice but to defend herself in court". To succeed with a justification defence, the defence would need to prove as substantially true all of the defamatory claims made by Lipstadt against Irving. The judge understood these claims to be,
Irving v Penguin Books Ltd | Legal issues
An advertisement in "The Guardian" led Rowling to move to Porto, Portugal, to teach English as a foreign language. She taught at night and began writing in the day while listening to Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto. After 18 months in Porto, she met Portuguese television journalist Jorge Arantes in a bar and found they shared an interest in Jane Austen. They married on 16 October 1992 and their child, Jessica Isabel Rowling Arantes (named after Jessica Mitford), was born on 27 July 1993 in Portugal. Rowling had previously suffered a miscarriage. The couple separated on 17 November 1993. Biographers have suggested that Rowling suffered domestic abuse during her marriage, which was later confirmed by Rowling herself, and by her first husband, who, in an article for "The Sun" in June 2020, said he had slapped her and did not regret it.
J. K. Rowling | Marriage, divorce, and single parenthood
In November 2004, Bardsley was accused of failing to inform the Department for Work and Pensions that she had earned money from TV and media appearances and was accused of being overpaid £4879.87. She denied the allegations and claimed that all the money she earned had been given to various charities and her sister. On 27 September 2004, Bardsley was found guilty of benefit fraud and sentenced to 80 hours community service and ordered to pay £2400 costs. She was also told to pay back the money. In March 2006, Bardsley was arrested on suspicion of child cruelty. On 3 April, she was charged with 10 counts of child cruelty relating to offences between 1996 and 2005.
Lizzy Bardsley | Legal issues
The series garnered more controversy in 2005 with the release of the sixth book, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", when a Real Canadian Superstore grocery store accidentally sold several copies before the authorised release date. The Canadian publisher, Raincoast Books, obtained an injunction from the Supreme Court of British Columbia prohibiting the purchasers from reading the books in their possession. A comment by a media lawyer that "there is no human right to read" led to a debate in the public sphere about whether free access to information was a human right. Michael Geist, the Canada Research Chair of Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, said in response, "The copyright law claim was particularly puzzling.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | Legal injunctions
"I know many of the same people as he does who were of Hitler's circle," Sereny said. "That is scary for him. He says we jostle at the same trough. The difference is that he loves that trough, and I don't... There is, I think, [for him] despair in all of this." Although the case did not go to court, the cost to the Guardian Media Group of preparing its legal defence amounted to £800,000.
Gitta Sereny | David Irving libel suit
In 1999, American author Nancy Kathleen Stouffer alleged copyright and trademark infringement by Rowling of her 1984 works "The Legend of Rah and the Muggles" () and "Larry Potter and His Best Friend Lilly". The primary basis for Stouffer's case rested in her own purported invention of the word "Muggles", the name of a race of mutant humanoids in "The Legend of Rah and the Muggles", and Larry Potter, the title character of a series of activity booklets for children. Larry Potter, like Harry Potter, is a bespectacled boy with dark hair, though he is not a character in "The Legend of Rah and the Muggles".
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series | Nancy Stouffer
The pair have been described as being "the most commercially successful relationship in literary history". Little's association with Rowling did not end well with the author choosing to leave Little. She left to join one of Little's former business partner, Neil Blair, as he set up his own agency. This led to Little considering legal action against the author but the dispute was settled amicably. The details of the settlement remain confidential.
Christopher Little Literary Agency | J. K. Rowling