Army Mag Draws Potter Comparisons (JK Rowling to sue US Army?)

[Pert_UK]

"Lawyers for author JK Rowling are investigating a US army magazine cartoon whose characters bear an uncanny resemblance to Harry Potter.
Preventive Maintenance Monthly, which has a circulation of 100,000, teaches soldiers how to care for their kit.

Its cartoon strip includes a boy wizard called Topper and a professor of Mogmart's School called Rumbledore...

Among the other similarities in the comic strip are teachers called Snappy and McDonagal. There are characters in the Potter books called Snape and McGonagal. One of the young female wizards is called Miss Ranger, while Harry Potter's best friend is Hermione Granger.

But the magazine's editor, Ken Crunk, denied there had been any copyright infringement. "The drawings do not look like any of the characters from Harry Potter," said Mr Crunk."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/4243145.stm

A pic from the magazine:



No, he's right, they don't look ANYTHING like Harry Potter et al.

:eyes:

[paineinthearse]

1. See "General" forum

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3064333

[pocket]

2. Parodies are protected free speech

n/t

[Pert_UK]

4. Parodies yes, ripping off?.....No.......

You can satirise but not just take someone's idea and use it for some other purpose.

P.

[trogdor]

3. I guess they were assuming...

...that Ms. Rowling was willing to look the other way at this sort of thing in the name of "the troops."

Trivia note: The current cartoonist for PS Magazine used to work at Marvel. His first issue featured Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus, whose tentacles failed due to poor preventive maintenance.