Rowling, Warner Bros. sue over Potter book

NEW YORK -- Author J.K. Rowling and the maker of the “Harry Potter” films are suing a small publisher in Michigan over its plans to release a book version of a popular website dedicated to the boy wizard.

The suit, filed last week by the author and Warner Bros. in federal court in Manhattan, claims that RDR Books will infringe on Rowling’s intellectual-property rights if it goes ahead with its plan to publish the 400-page “Harry Potter Lexicon” on Nov. 28.

According to the publisher, the book contains much of the same material already found on www.hp-lexicon.org, a fan-created collection of essays and encyclopedic material on the Harry Potter universe, including lists of spells and potions found in the books and a catalog of magical creatures.

In the past, Rowling has expressed support for such fan-driven efforts and has singled out the Harry Potter Lexicon website and its editor, Steve Vander Ark, for high praise.

But in the lawsuit, Rowling claimed that the print version of the Lexicon would improperly interfere with her plans to write her own definitive Harry Potter encyclopedia.

“I cannot, therefore, approve of ‘companion books’ or ‘encyclopedias’ that seek to preempt my definitive Potter reference book for their authors’ own personal gain,” Rowling said in a news release issued by Warner Bros. The film giant owns all the intellectual property related to the Potter books and movies.

RDR Books publisher Roger Rapoport said the suit dismayed him but vowed that he wouldn’t allow it to block plans to release “Lexicon.” He described it as a “critical reference work” and dismissed the notion that it could compete with an official encyclopedia written by Rowling.