Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling has never authorized the publication of her books in electronic format. However on eBays Indian site, exactly these books have been selling in auctions.
A bit cross about this, J.K as not reached for her wand but rather the phone number of her lawyer. An unprecedented court order could force eBay to police itself and delete these books from its site. EBay has always claimed it is not responsible for the auctions people conduct, but the court disagreed.
A lawyer for Rowling in India told the Times Online that the injunction, which lasts until a new hearing on the 23rd May, could set the stage for many similar cases to follow.
Tiffany and Christian Dior in separate cases also want eBay to actively watch for auctions of counterfeit items bearing their brands too. Could this be the tip of the iceberg? It will be interesting to see how the online giant responds. Till now ebay have largely depended upon the self policing nature of its site.
How would such a ruling ever be policed? Maybe ebay will start to recruit online content checkers?? That will of course have a massive effect on the financial viability of the business. Could it be put out of business, or is that more fanciful than Hogwarts?
Friday, March 02, 2007
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