"Irreparable harm as a writer"

[faustus]

Apparently JK Rowling won the case against the Potter Lexicon, as fair use was not established by the editor. Yeah - but "irreparable harm [to her] as a writer"?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/sep/08/harrypotter.usa

Comments

[fjm.livejournal.com]

With less than $7,000 in damages. I think the judge was taking the piss.

[drasecretcampus.livejournal.com]

I didn't see that reported - but then what price can you put on irreparable damage?

[buffysquirrel.livejournal.com]

She was going to do her own encyclopedia, but now she doesn't feel up to it.

I believe that as much as I believed that Beetle the Bard would never be published commercially.

[drasecretcampus.livejournal.com]

She owes it to her fans. And that $7000 will come in useful now she's down to her last squintillion.

It always was one of those Hamilton vs Fayed cases where you want both sides to lose - most academic work flirts around the extremely nebulous notion of fair use (which pragmatically is assumed to be 400 words, with the assumption of added value rather than pure parasitism) but this was so far beyond fair use to be a joke. I guess I'd be pissed if, say, someone simply reprinted my book on Dick. I can sort of see a web/dead tree not for profit/exploitation dividing line, but it's counting angels on pin heads.

[buffysquirrel.livejournal.com]

I find it hard to see how it could be a great web resource, capable of reaching millions of people, and not doing any damage at all, but suddenly become irreparably damaging when put into print, where it would probably be purchased by a few thousand people, if that--why buy it if it's freely available webside?

Talking of PKD, I just bought your book recently :). Am also only lacking six of his published works to complete my collection. Getting there, getting there!

[drasecretcampus.livejournal.com]

Which six? I'd like to guess Dr Futurity and a couple of the mainstream novels. Lies Inc? The longer version of Unteleported Man?