Plagiarism case against JK Rowling closed

A plagiarism claim against Harry Potter author JK Rowling has failed in the UK. The British writer was accused of lifting parts of the plot featured in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" from a book by late children's writer Adrian Jacobs. The case is now closed.

The estate of Adrian Jacobs filed suit against JK Rowling, as well as against her publisher Bloomsbury, in the United Sates, in 2004. The claim was dismissed, but in 2010 it was brought back in the UK. "The Adventures of Willy the Wizard" was published in 1987, thirteen years before "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", the fourth book in Rowling's hugely popular series. Australian writer Adrian Jacobs died in 1997.

The writer's estate had been ordered by the Court of Appeal to pay £1.5 million ($2.4 million) as costs security by Friday, 15 July. The sum represented 65% of the costs faced by Rowling and her publisher. Since the money was not paid, the case was closed. Paul Allen, the trustee of the Australian writer's estate, has been trying unsuccessfully for seven years to win the copyright claim. He accused Rowling of copying several elements from Jacobs's book, including the idea of a contest between wizards. The claim was first filed in the United Sates, but was rejected 

JK Rowling said that she had not even seen "The Adventures of Willy the Wizard" before the claim was made. Solicitor David Hooper, who represented Bloomsbury, described the case as "ludicrous" and "a scandal". Gideon Benaim, Rowling's solicitor, said that a lot of time had been wasted fighting against the claim, despite being obvious that it had no chance to succeed. A spokesman for the estate of Adrian Jacobs said that the case was "dead for now", but could be revived in another country.

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", which was published in 2000, is the fourth novel in the hugely popular book series about the adventures of a young wizard. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", the first novel in the series, was published in 1997. It was followed by six other novels, all of them bestsellers. The series has sold more than 400 million copies. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2", the eight and last film in the popular franchise, was released in cinemas last weekend. The movie has broken several box office records so far.

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