Rowling's Lawsuit "Not About Money"

J. K. Rowling, rags-to-riches author of the Harry Potter series, said Monday that she felt betrayed by a fan according to eFluxMedia. "This is not about money," the author added.

Rowling created her Harry Potter character when she was a single mother living on state benefits. Now the 42-year-old mother of three is richer than the Queen. She told Judge Robert P. Patterson, who is hearing the case without a jury, that a book set to be published by RDR Books is "wholesale theft" of her writing.

The book is based on a Web site edited by trained librarian Steven Vander Ark, called www.hplexicon.org, which is a fan-created encyclopedia of everything Harry Potter. According to Rowling, Ark's unauthorized book-version lexicon is "sloppy, lazy," and full of errors. She felt those responsible were just looking for a "fast buck."

The New York Times reports that the book's publisher, Roger Rapoport, testified that he heard of Steve Vander Ark and his passion for the Harry Potter world and was the one who approached the librarian to pen a book.

Rapoport also agreed to cover the costs of any potential lawsuit.