Pakistan monsoon death toll rises to 299, including 140 children    Saudi Arabia issues new regulations for food laboratory operations    Saudi Tourism Ministry launches e-service to boost accommodation capacity in Makkah and Madinah for Hajj 1447    Four health colleges rank lowest in 2025 national licensure exam results    SABIC posts $1.41 billion loss in H1 2025 on UK plant closure, restructuring costs    OPEC+ to boost oil output by 547,000 bpd in September    Foreign direct investment nets SR1.9 billion in Saudi stock market for July    Saudi, Iraqi justice ministers sign cooperation agreement in Riyadh    Palestine Red Crescent says Israeli strike on Gaza HQ kills worker, injures three    Saudi defender Saud Abdulhamid joins RC Lens on loan from AS Roma    Riyadh Comedy Festival tickets now on sale for world's biggest stand-up event    Flash floods, landslides kill 8 in northern Vietnam, 3 missing    Canada rejects claims of ongoing arms exports to Israel    Saudi Gazette publishes full text of new foreign property ownership law The law grants non-Saudis broader real estate rights under defined conditions while imposing restrictions in Makkah and Madinah    Sotheby's returns Buddha jewels to India after uproar    Riyadh Film Music Festival returns with live orchestral performances of iconic movie scores    Nissan Formula E Team celebrates a landmark season 11 with proud Saudi sponsor Electromin    Fahad bin Nafel steps down as Al Hilal president after historic six-year run    João Félix unveiled by Al Nassr as €50m move marks bold new chapter in Riyadh    Saudi Arabia approves first Alzheimer's treatment with lecanemab for early-stage patients    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Was Harry Potter plot plagiarized?
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 17 - 06 - 2009

The publisher of the wildly popular and profitable “Harry Potter” books says it intends to fight a lawsuit alleging author J.K. Rowling stole the idea for them.
A statement from Bloomsbury Publishing PLC says the suit alleges Rowling took the idea for the boy wizard from an author named Adrian Jacobs. Bloomsbury said Tuesday that such a plagiarism allegation is “unfounded, unsubstantiated and untrue” and that Rowling had “never heard of Adrian Jacobs nor seen, read, or heard of his book.” Bloomsbury says Jacobs' book, “Willy the Wizard”, had limited distribution.”This claim is without merit and will be defended vigorously.”
In an earlier statement, Jacobs' estate said that it had issued proceedings at London's High Court against Bloomsbury Publishing Plc for copyright infringement.
It said that Rowling had copied “substantial parts” of “The Adventures of Willy the Wizard - No 1 Livid Land” written by Jacobs in 1987.
It added that the plot of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire copied elements of the plot of Willy the Wizard, including a wizard contest, and that the Potter series borrowed the idea of wizards travelling on trains.
“Both Willy and Harry are required to work out the exact nature of the main task of the contest which they both achieve in a bathroom assisted by clues from helpers, in order to discover how to rescue human hostages imprisoned by a community of half-human, half-animal fantasy creatures,” the estate statement said. According to the statement, Jacobs had sought the services of literary agent Christopher Little who later became Rowling's agent. Jacobs died “penniless” in a London hospice in 1997, it said.
In its response, Bloomsbury said Rowling “had never heard of Adrian Jacobs nor seen, read or heard of his book Willy the Wizard until this claim was first made in 2004, almost seven years after the publication of the first book in the highly publicized Harry Potter series.


Clic here to read the story from its source.