Harry Potter vs. Ebay

Ebay is in hot water with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. The author of the phenomenally succesful series is suing the online auction hosting service for failing to police the sales of unauthorized versions of her books. Representatives for Rowling claim that Ebay has been asked to institute preventative measures to ensure that pirated Harry Potter items are not put up for sale. Ebay was unwilling to take the necessary steps, and now Rowling's people say they have no choice left but to sue.

This is not the first time Ebay has been in legal trouble for this type of complaint. Tiffany's, the American jewelry company, and Christian Dior Couture have brought claims against Ebay. The auction site plans to fight both actions.

So far, Rowling has won a victory in obtaining an injunction against Ebay, prohibiting the site from listing illegal copies of her works. Although Ebay says that monitoring all of its potential sales would be impractical, they are now required to do just that, and it is likely that other companies and brands will begin to demand similar treatment when faced with copyright infringement. If Ebay fails to police its sales, it will be held in contempt of court.