Even a wizard can't predict outcome of 'Potter' case

April 25, 2008 Certainly, Steven Van der Ark and RDR Books have little idea whether a murky bog of legal doctrine designed to balance free speech with the rights of copyright holders allows them to publish "The Harry Potter Lexicon," an encyclopedia that consists mostly of words written by "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling. Attorneys for Rowling and film partner Warner Bros. are similarly uncertain when they argue that free-riders like Van der Ark can't simply cut and paste her words, add a little commentary and call it fair use. That's because fair use is one of the most frustratingly wishy-washy areas of entertainment law.

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