Suit fails to deter 'Potter' copycats

  April 13, 2003 at 3:11 PM ET
      HPANA (via The Argus)
 

The Argus writes:

Dmitry Yemets

With his boyish blond hair, clear blue eyes and sweet smile, Russian author Dmitry Yemets is disarmingly likable for someone accused of plagiarism.

Mega-author J.K. Rowling sued him in an Amsterdam, Netherlands, court, alleging that Yemets was a copycat with his book "Tanya Grotter i Volshebny Kontrabas" -- or "Tanya Grotter and the Magic Double Bass."

Yemets' Dutch publisher, Byblos, lost the case earlier this month and was ordered not to publish the book in the Netherlands, but plans to appeal. The court decision fires a warning to publishing houses to steer clear of "Tanya Grotter," but it does nothing to control its spread in Russia.

The idea of Harry Potter as a brand name to be defended against pretenders in court is lost on the Russian literary world -- in a country where authorities are lackadaisical about enforcing copyright and intellectual property laws. In fact, many Russian critics defend Yemets as a talented writer who did no harm with "Tanya Grotter," arguing that it is a valid literary endeavor.

Yemets insists his book is a light-hearted parody of the Harry Potter books that gained a life of its own in the three successive books he rushed out in less than a year. "I believe in my books," says Yemets, 29, who has been deflecting approaches from low-budget Russian filmmakers.

Full story at the link.