'Harry Potter' fan weeps on witness stand - Wild about Harry - MSNBC.com

“The British author sued Michigan-based RDR Books to stop publication of Steven Vander Ark's ‘Harry Potter Lexicon,’ claiming copyright infringement. Vander Ark runs the popular Harry Potter Lexicon Web site, and RDR wants to publish a print version of the site...”

My first reaction was, "why can't they just work together?" She would need someone very much like him to make it work anyway. How many times has she said things along the lines of my-mind-doesn't-work-that-way? Can you imagine those two personalities combined in one project? All of her back stories, all of his cross-referencing, keeping each other in line…

Among other things, JKR says, "I believe that it is sloppy, lazy..." but if she tried to do it by herself, her version would be more so. It's a catch-22. If she were the kind of person who could do such a nit-picky job well, she would not have been able to create Harry Potter in the first place. Stick with your core-competency and out-source the rest.

Then there's the part that says Vander & RDR want to charge $24.95, which is more than any of the books themselves cost. Oh, well. I was kind of sympathetic up to that point.