Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. et al v. RDR Books et al

Filing 5

DECLARATION of Neil Blair in Support re: 3 Order to Show Cause,,,,,,. Document filed by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., J. K. Rowling. (Cendali, Dale)

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. et al v. RDR Books et al

Doc. 5

Case 1:07-cv-09667-RPP

Document 5

Filed 11/05/2007

Page 1 of 5

UNITED STATES DIS"I'RICT COURT SOÚTI^ER^i DISTINCT OF NERV CORK

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«1RNR BROS . E^"T'ER"I^^INNILNT INC, a ad .1-K. ZO^^'LI^G.
l'laint^ffs, -a^?ainst-

Case ^^, 07-CV-96b7 RI'P^

RI3I^ I30QKS and DOÉS 1-10, Défendants.

DLCLARØTION OF NEIL BLAIR

1, ^eíl Blair, declare aa^d state as falows: 1. I any a^^ attorney and j^^nior partner at Christapher Little Literary Agency, the

ager t fczr ,I.K. Ro^^l^ng. Lxcept far the facts stated an ìnf^rmatí^an and belief, aß af the facts set fartlo herein are kn^^^^^n to nae personalyr, and if called as a witness, I e^uld and would testify eon^p^tently thereto. 2. J.lí'.. Ra^^lí^^g ís the author af tl^^e world-famous Harry Potter serìes of boeks (the

``H^rrrv Potter B^,olcs" ). ' the first book in the series , H^^rry Potte^° ind the Øhilosopher'.s Stone, was published ín the United Kingdom ìn Sune 1997 with a sut^stantìally i dentical version of the book p bìished ín the United States ín September 1998 under the title ferry Pott^^° nd the ,Sop°c^re^-'s Stene.

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That first book ^^°as nll^wed ^y six z^^ore baal<s: Harry Potter end the Ch^mØ^r

cif Secrets (199^j, Harry Í'Øt^er and the f't^i^^^nar ofAzk^fi^n (l99Ø;, ff^rry Potter ^nc^the Go^^let of ^Yre (2000), ff^t-t^ l'^ttcr ^^^d the C^rØer of^the Phoenix (2Oß3), H^^ry Potter nd tÝìe H^1f=131^^d Prí^ce (20Q5), arid, finally, Hc^r^-y P ^ tter ^n^^ the Deathly }f^ll^ws (2D07). Iach ^f these baol<s ís she subject ^f a copyright rcgístrati^n ix^ the United States.

Dockets.Justia.com

Case 1:07-cv-09667-RPP

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Filed 11/05/2007

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4.

Thus far, the Harry Putter Books have been translated íz^t^ .rr^^re khan ^5

languages and have sold well over ^^0 million copies worldwide. 5. Ms. Ro^^-lízg also has authored and published two companion baks to the Harry

^?^dter Books s^ far - Quíd^^^t^·h Thrn^^^h the ^?ge,s and F^nt^rstic Beasts c^^c1 Yi'here to Find Tf^en^^. Ms. R^^^lí^g gene^otisly donates r^valtìes from the Companio^^ Books to the charitable

orgazí^atíon Comic Relief and has repeatedly stated that sloe plans to create additional con^paníon bo^ícs anal donate royalties t^ charitable ^rganízatí^ns. The tv°n initial Cor^^paníon B ^ oks .ibis. Rowlízg 4^s authored already have raised £^ â million for charity.

Ei.

Ms. ^^^vlíng has developed along-term strategy t^ p^·eserve the í^tegrít^ ^f the

Harry Potter Books which í^-^cludes limiting the number of licenses that are granted , the number of products that are made, and where they caz be sold.
7, K. ^^ls. Bowling has ne^^er authorized anyone to d^^ a Harry Patter companion book. I í^rst learned of the lzfrínging Book when I saw az advertisement on

^v^^^^^.Publíshers^iarketplace.com azz^^^ncing that RDR Books woud be publísh^^g the TI^^r^y Palter L-exáco^, p^^rportedly scheduled, at teat time, f©r release ín late October 2007. The ad listed the author as Steve Vander Ark, the edít^r of a free · · ebsíte laeated at ^i^vwh^1ex^c^n.cc^m and made clear that the b^^k was intended to be the def^nítíve Harry Potter encyclopedia tota.líng appr^^ximately 400 pages long. Attached as lxhíbít A ís a true and accurate copy of the advertisement i^om tl^e ^^vebsite ^^^^^^v.P^^blíshers?L·laricett^lace ^on^.

9.

BasLd on tl^e description í the P^^blíshersitilark^tplace.com advertise^z^ent ard

beín^; i'^^^^íiiar ^^°ith the c^nte^t of the Lex^c^n ^Vebsíte, ^^Is. Bowling and ^ became c^zcerned about thé nature of tine ^^ok. As such, I ^^^-ote to ^Ir. Vander Ark grid RDR Hooks via e^naí and

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appealed to them as fans of Ms. Rowlíng's work i© forego }^ubl^cation ^f the Harry Potter LeY^con. `hhe only reply I reeeíved, after síx days, was an e^naíl from Mr. Va^^der Ark ^dvisí^^g that he "shad]" been asked to leave all correspo^d^c-e on t4ís rnatter ta others."
I deel^^re under penalty cif perjury under the lavs of the Úniteci States ^f Arr^eríca that tl^e foregoing is true ar^d correct. I^xecuted ^^ l^ovember I, 2^D7, at Ne^^^ York, ^le^^ Yc ^ rk.

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E^hibít A

Publishers Marketplace: Rights News anti Offerings

Case 1:07-cv-09667-RPP

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Filed 11/05/2007

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Steve Vander Ark British, French. Aust 'alían and Canadian rights hage already been sold to RDR Batiks' encyclopedia an the v^onderful world of all î Harry Patter books. The 4fl0 page Harry Potter lrexicon, d^.e out in late OctobØr, is the first and only cØmplete critical reference work on this wonderful ser"ses. Thausands of fascinatinØ updated listings compiled by Steve hander Ark, editor af one of the world's favorite Harry Potter fan sites (iver 25 million visitors annuaIy), make this the book that academics, remers of all ages, ^dìtors, critics, reviewers, and filmrr^akers prize. Worìd Rights except Britain, France, Australia and Canada British, French, Canadian, Australian Author Steve Vander Ark is an international celebrity in the Harry Potter world, ke^nating academic conferences, featured on A & E, tine BBC and the Today Show and regularly interviewed on all things Potter. His lengthy A & B interview wìì1 be included as an extra an the forthcoming DVf^ of Harry Patter and The Order Of The Phoenix. Roger Rapoport RDR Batiks r^^r^r^9^ °l^^wf+^s^ø^^. phone: 510 595-ûS95 fax: 5t(} 228-g^00 1487 Glen R^enue, Muskegon, MI 49441

C^escription:

Rights mailable: Rights already sold: Other information:

Contact:

Item n^^nb^r: 49©2

http://www.publishersmarketplace.cozx lrághts/display.cgi`?r^ =4902

^ 1/1/2007