J.K. Rowling Denies Charges of Plagiarism
British author J.K. Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter children’s book series, issued a statement calling the charges of copyright infringement being brought against her “absurd.”The suit, filed by the estate of the late author Adrian Jacobs, alleges that a portion of Rowling’s 2000 story, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, was stolen from Jacobs’s 1987 book, The Adventures of Willy the Wizard: No 1 Livid Land.
In her statement Rowling said, “I am saddened that yet another claim has been made that I have taken material from another source to write Harry. The fact is I had never heard of the author or the book before the first accusation by those connected to the author’s estate in 2004; I have certainly never read the book.
“The claims that are made are not only unfounded but absurd and I am disappointed that I, and my U.K. publisher Bloomsbury, are put in a position to have to defend ourselves. We will be applying to the Court immediately for a ruling that the claim is without merit and should therefore be dismissed without delay.”
Tori Spelling to Pen Children’s Book
Actress Tori Spelling is working on her first children’s book, Presenting … Tallulah which is being published by Aladdin, a Simon & Schuster imprint, and tells the tale of a girl who struggles to be herself.Spelling, who has released a number of best-selling books and has another due out in June, said in a statement, “I love reading to my kids. It’s our special time together. That and my passion for story telling inspired me to write a children’s book of my own to read to them and children everywhere.”
Presenting … Tallulah is due out Sept. 21.
Settlement Delayed in Google Books Case
A long hearing in Manhattan on Thursday led to few answers to the argument of a settlement in the class-action suit brought against Internet powerhouse Google by book industry groups.Judge Denny Chin of the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York said there was “just too much to digest,” and delayed a ruling on this large-scale case.
A deal would allow a vast array of books to be made digitally available via Google and its “library project” Google Books. Proponents applaud the accessibility of content to users. Opponents voice concerns over copyright infringement, among other things. To be continued…
Insight into Apple’s E-Book Pricing Strategy Revealed
“Anonymous sources” have been cited in the revelations that Apple may allow for lower-than-expected pricing for at least a portion of its e-book sales when it releases its much anticipated app iBookstore and e-reader iPad next month.Adding fuel to the fire of the e-book pricing debate, Apple has reportedly included discount pricing on best sellers in its deals with publishers that could bring the price of some titles to as low as $9.99—meeting Amazon’s Kindle price point.
Publishers have argued that such discounts in the fastest growing segment of the industry may severely hurt their business.
Amazon Brings Kindle to Blackberrys
Amazon has released a Kindle app for Blackberry smart phones, after much success with its iPhone app. “Kindle for Blackberry” is a free app that allows users to access over 420,000 e-books available through Amazon.Amazon Kindle Vice President Ian Freed told Reuters, “Since the launch of our popular Kindle for iPhone app last year, customers have been asking us to bring a similar experience to the BlackBerry.”
