Harry Potter fans behaving badly, part whatever

It’s been a while since we checked in on the Harry Potter Lexicon case, but yesterday’s developments plumb a new low – RDR Books requested a copy of Rowling’s notes for her own encyclopedia, claiming:

…David Hammer, lawyer for RDR… says that the notes are requested in order to “test the merits” of J.K. Rowling’s claims that she is going to write an encyclopedia and that part of the reason for suppressing the HPL would be to suppress potential competition. RDR asked for “copies of any prepatory materials that Ms. Rowling has drafted or authorized to be drafted, including notes, outlines, drafts, marketing proposals, etc.”

And I ask again: Are these people for real? Has she not out and out said several times that’s she’s writing one? Rowling and the WB’s response:

JKR/WB object to what it sees as RDR’s “pattern of writing the Court whenever it wishes without first making any effort to meet and confer, let alone giving sufficient advance notice of its intended communication with the Court”…. JKR’s “overwhelmingly sensitive” notes would serve “no legitimate purpose other than to harass Ms. Rowling. Rather, the burden of producing these notes far outweighs any benefit to RDR in obtaining them.”

You can catch up on other recent developments on Fandom Wank, thanks to the seemingly tireless Cleolinda and friends.

Eighth Potter book?

JK Rowling told Time magazine that she hasn’t ruled out an eighth book in the Harry Potter series.

“If – and it’s a big if – I ever write an eighth book, I doubt that Harry would be the central character. I feel I’ve already told his story,” she said. “But these are big ifs. Let’s give it 10 years.”

Anyone else thinking prequel?

JKR has also updated her official site with a chart showing some of the marriages and spawnings of many of the characters (get to it by clicking the pink eraser and then the door handle). George hooked up with Angelina, it’s James Sirius Potter and Charlie never married (and the slashers rejoiced!).

Yet more on the HP Lexicon

There’s a post from Steve Vander Ark over on the Lexicon blog, an email from the past where he discourages other fans from publishing an encyclopedia and acknowledges it as illegal (but he planned to “plan to petition Jo to allow the Lexicon to work with her to create the ultimate Harry Potter encyclopedia.”) Again: Classy.

The piece de resistance is perhaps a video of Vander Ark at the Prophecy 2007 conference. (“Jo has quit; she’s done… we’re taking over now!” and “Jo has every right to write her seventh book… but I have a real problem with her claiming from now until 2017.”) The sentiment is something we’re familiar with here in Star Wars fandom, but when one is planning to take your fandom project and sell it without permission for $25 a pop, it sounds a lot more sinister. The 501st you’re not, bud.

See it all over at Fandom Wank, since that’s where I’m stealing links from anyway.