If someone wrote a book abot witches who use wands could they be sued byRowling?

[Michael]

Did rowling create that witches use wands and can she sue someone who also uses the idea,just curious.

[Feliks]

Absolutely not. No need to worry or fret. She never had an original idea of her own, so how could she sue anyone else? Nevermind, the world just doesn't work that way, you have nothing to fear.

[Raevyn]

Michael wrote: "Did rowling create that witches use wands and can she sue someone who also uses the idea,just curious."

The way I see it, the witches-in-fiction ideas have been around so long that she can't sue, they can't sue, and so on. I hope I helped!

[Rachel]

No, witches who use wands have been around almost as long as fantasy writing.

[Kristen]

Only if they used the specific names - Harry Potter, Hogwarts, Dumbledore, etc. Anything else is fair game. Rowling certainly didn't invent the idea of witches using wands. That stereotype has been around a long time.

[Michael]

What about witches flying on brooms?

[Pratiti]

that's been around even LONGER.

[Georgia]

Michael wrote: "What about witches flying on brooms?"

That has been around for ages as well.

[Ashley]

Yes, as far as wands go they would be good. However if it was three students wanting to get rid of a guy with out a nose who has a league of followers and also go to a castle/school,,, well maybe....

[Meryl]

Ashley wrote: "Yes, as far as wands go they would be good. However if it was three students wanting to get rid of a guy with out a nose who has a league of followers and also go to a castle/school,,, well maybe...."

Dang it! I was just about to start writing that. You stole my idea. :-)

[Meryl]

Michael, here's a serious response for a rule of thumb: You can't copyright ideas. Books are copyrighted, but the idea of schools of magic, witches, wands, broomsticks, etc.--they're all ideas, and they've been around a while, as others wrote. Ursula LeGuin wrote about a wizard school decades before J.K. Rowling, and I'm sure she's not the first, either.

[Paul]

Meryl wrote: "Ursula LeGuin wrote about a wizard school decades before J.K. Rowling, and I'm sure she's not the first, either.
"

Or the last as Rothfuss, Lev Grossman, and Sanderson can all attest just to name a very few.

[Michael]

So school for witches is up for grabs to

[[deleted user]]

i don't know

[[deleted user]]

and what about an evil guy as well

so can j.k rowling sue us if we have witches ,and go to a school and have to fight an evil person

[C.C.]

J.K. Rowling absolutely could sue someone who wrote a book about witches who use wands. And, she has a decent chance of winning. Now her claim would not be supported by law, but that's really irrelevant. What is relevant is that anyone can file a suit against anyone for any reason. And since Rowling is crazy rich and you are not, she could throw money at the case until you couldn't afford to fight. Although she could do this, it seems unlikely that she would unless the story starred Gary, Don, and Jermione, who attended Pigmoles Academy.
Short answer:she could, but probably wouldn't.

[Paul]

No Technically witches have used wands for a long time to focus energy along with the athame (Knife/dagger).
When I was learning wicca I created my own wand for usage in ritual (well before the creation of Potter) she did not invent it she couldn't sue...And hell she never sued for the adventures of James Potter books and Neil Gaiman never sued her for the obvious "inspiration" she got from "The Books of Magic" so you are just fine.

[[deleted user]]

With so many years of literary history behind us it is difficult to find an idea that has not been used by five gazillion authors. Quite frankly, unless it's word-for-word, I doubt Rowling could do much of anything without running the risk of being sued herself by all the others who have written about witches in a school. As clique ideas go, that one's been around a while.

Besides, like people have said in the above comments, she's crazy rich. She doesn't need the books to make money, and Harry Potter is super famous and having another book with witches and a villain named Baldymort probably isn't going to hinder her at all, so why would she sue?

[Christopher]

I agree with Tessa, Rowling has so much money, it won't even bother her. Besides, it's like that joke: "If Bill Gates drops $100 on the ground, will he pick it up?" It's so little compared to the overall amount, it won't even make a difference to the people who originally owned it!

[Marilyn]

Why does this seem like a really bad troll thread?

[Julia]

Marilyn wrote: "Why does this seem like a really bad troll thread?"

Because it is. This is the same troll that accused JKR of plagiarizing Tolkien. He's either a troll, or incredibly dim.

[Kane]

She cannot. The only thing linked to Harry Potter is the inspiration :).

[[deleted user]]

j.k rowling copied some of j.r.r tolkiens idea

[Paul]

She copied a lot of ideas. Take a look for Neal Gaiman's Books of Magic...but if your going to steal then steal from the best and do a great job with it...Check and check

[Julia, dude call me JJ]

I don't think so, unless it was extremely similar, word for word. Some author sued JKR because the other authors book was " Larry Potter" see.

[Tashann]

Not likely. Magical people who use wands or a similar instrument is a theme that is centuries old. Besides, if that were possible, someone could have tried suing Rowling herself for plagiarism a long time ago if that were the case. To my knowledge, that's never happened

[Riobhcah]

My husband is an attorney and he says that the idea of associating witches and wands has been around for centuries, and if that is the only obvious similarity to Rowling's books, there is no way that they would have a case. As the other lady stated above: Just as long as it isn't three students going to school to learn witchcraft or some other really obvious copying of the story line in her books, then again, they would not have any proverbial "leg to stand on" and would not be able to bring a case against you.