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JK Rowling and her publisher Bloomsbury have failed to get summary judgment against the estate of Adrian Jacobs who is claiming that the Harry Potter novels infringe copyright in Jacobs’ Willy the Wizard novels by copying that book’s plot and themes.
Rowling and Bloomsbury claimed that Jacobs’ claim should be dismissed summarily, as (a) Rowling had not read Willy the Wizard, and (b) the plot and themes she had allegedly copied were too abstract to be protected by copyright.
The allegations of copying were complex, and the defendants had not disclosed Rowling’s drafts or of her agent’s diaries. Similarly, the judge strongly inclined to the view that no copyright subsisted in the plot and themes, but on neither point was the case clear enough to be suitable for summary judgment.
The matter may roll on to court – but with three firms of solicitors and six barristers involved, the loser could face a very large bill, and hopefully common sense will allow the matter to settle.
The UK government is considering extending this power to depart from retained EU case law to additional lower courts and tribunals, namely the Court of Appeal in England and Wales and the High Court of Justice in England and Wales and their equivalents.
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Lord Justice Arnold has applied the guidance of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to the evidence before him, in the long standing trade mark dispute between Sky and Skykick.
The Hiscox Cyber Readiness report, a review of 3300 organisations, will be a stark warning for CEO’s of SME’s in the UK and in Europe.
How secure is your fitness tracker? (Not to mention your smartwatch, sleep tracker, smart shoe insoles and wearable Bluetooth keyboard). It’s something that many of us give little thought to, but perhaps we should be more concerned.
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