J. K. Rowling Goes to Court over Harry Potter

According to the Associated Press, British author J.K. Rowling has sued the publishing company, RDR Books, for trying to publish a "Harry Potter Lexicon."

RDR Books faces charges of copyright infringement for plagiarizing passages from the fantasy novels and describing the novel's characters, potions and spells. The publishing company based its encyclopedia on a Web site created by one of Rowling's biggest fans.

Steven Vander Ark is a 50-year-old fan from Michigan who has read each of the books more than 30 times. The former middle school librarian has been dedicated to the Harry Potter books since 1998 and is responsible for creating the Lexicon Web site.

During the U.S. District Court trial in Manhattan, Vander Ark cried during his testimony and said it has been difficult for him recently because of the mass criticism he has received surrounding the case.

Warner Bros. Entertainment and Rowling said that the fan's good intentions are irrelevant as he committed acts of plagiarism.