Warner Bros. Shuts Down Harry Potter Themed Dinner For Infringement
from the how-nice-of-them... dept
Last month, in discussing "derivative works" on the IP Colloquium podcast, the General Counsel of Warner Bros. studios, Jeremy Williams, talked up how Warner Bros. was really careful in not just going after fans for doing fun things with the Harry Potter character, but were careful to focus just on for-profit ventures. Either they're not that careful, or someone else didn't get the message, as Warner Bros. has apparently sent out the legal nastygrams to a woman in the UK who was planning on having a fun Harry Potter-themed dinner. The dinner was a non-profit event, and it sounds like it was done mainly to make the woman's daughter (a big Harry Potter fan) happy. The article notes that the woman has had other themed nights, with other brands being happy about it and supporting the effort. But, apparently, Hollywood doesn't roll that way.![Hide This Hide this](https://ii.techdirt.com/s/t/i/topclose.png)
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Filed Under: copyright, harry potter, infringement
Companies: warner bros.
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Tragically incorrect
Lets try again with this Potter litigation, shall we?
"Jeremy Williams, talked up how Warner Bros. was really careful in not just going after fans for doing fun things with the Harry Potter character, but were careful to focus just on for-profit ventures."
Oh dear, this one is just RIFE with misrepresentation, falacy, and outright falsehoods.
"really careful" - is true, just opposite in meaning.
"JUST going after fans" - means, anyone who even so much as REFERS to Potter, in any way, word, deed or thought.
"but were careful to focus" - is actually the only true part of this entire statement.
"just on for-profit ventures" - is an outright falsehood. Remember, copyright is absolute, according to these big-media copyright holders. ANY use is to be paid for. ANY enjoyment, reference, discussion, is a de-facto for-profit "venture" as someone is benefiting in SOME manner (enjoyment, non-monetary, sharing) and therefore it must be pursued, and if not paid for, crushed utterly under the bootheel of the copyright holder.
Hope this little lesson helps to clarify the world of copyright and rights holders as it has now become in the 21st century.
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Re:
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Counter Productive
I haven't seen the data on Harry Potter, but the merchandise/movie income ratio for STAR WARS is heavily on the merchandise side. I can't believe that Harry Potter is that far different.
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stop it
Increasingly, today, we are all part of the creative process.
A cultural boycott is the only thing that will stop this kind of brutish behavior.
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Harry Potter is
And the Lord of the rings is only a reworked Knights of the round table.
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Re: Harry Potter is
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If Warner Brothers had been smart
"you need our consent." (signed Voldemort(TM))
Should have been:
"Attached is the consent form, fully filled out on your behalf and approved. Our warmest regards to you and your fellow diners."
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Re: Re: Harry Potter is
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Well...
Well, no one would actually BUY Marmite...
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Re: If Warner Brothers had been smart
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idiots
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Re: Well...
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Thats right!
A VERY good point! Unfortunetly, in the new, 21st century "copyright is absolute, crush any usage" idiom, logic, reason, and indeed, even the law have little to nothing to do with it. They are rich and powerful, this woman is not, therefore they can threaten til the cows come home to roost and there isnt much we the people can do about it.
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Re: idiots
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Re:
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er that may get you tossed in jail, but for other reasons.
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"The Party That Shall Not Be Named"
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Re: Harry Potter is
lord of the rings is just a reworked ring of the niebelung, with the addition of hobbits:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Ring_des_Nibelungen
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Oh so you're bloodninja.
@Ray Trygstad
That was a really wise thing they did with the name.
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