‘Harry Potter’ takes on ‘Tanya Grotter’

“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling has accused a Russian writer of copying her work and asked a Dutch court to block publication of his book in the Netherlands, her lawyer said Wednesday.

Rowling has asked an Amsterdam court to prevent the publication of the first Western edition of “The Magic Double Bass” by Dmitry Yemets, which her lawyer says copies her hit book “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”

The Russian book features a girl called Tanya Grotter. Potter and Grotter have much in common. Both are orphans, have strange marks on their faces, wield magical powers and battle a terrible enemy.

Yemets says his work is a parody. His Dutch publisher, Byblos, said it was not a copy of Rowling’s work but a response to the hype surrounding “Potter.”