JK Rowling’s Name Being Erased From Books

(FreedomBeacon.com)- Many “Harry Potter” readers are questioning the removal of J.K. Rowling’s name from some copies of her renowned book series by a person in Toronto, who then sells the “revised” and newly bound books to interested buyers, all because he disagrees with her stance on gender and wants to provide an “alternative” to others who might be offended by her name.

People are curious as to whether the actions of a so-called “bookbinder artist” violate copyright laws or any other laws in any way.

He offers to rebind and return any “Harry Potter” books that individuals currently own in exchange for a charge of about $170.

According to legal authorities, the person’s artistic pursuits are certainly within his legal rights. The individual’s creative endeavor is artistic, according to the lawyers.

The lawyers emphasized that once a book is purchased, its owner can do whatever they choose, provided that no fraud is committed.

Ron Coleman, a partner at the Dhillon Law Group in New York, said: “He can do it.”

According to a copyright law tenet known as the “first sale doctrine,” when you purchase something copyright protected, it becomes your own, Coleman said.

The “first sale doctrine,” which is codified at 17 U.S.C. 109, states that a person who knowingly purchases a copy of a work protected by copyright from the copyright holder receives the right to sell, display, or otherwise dispose of that specific copy, despite the interests of the copyright owner.

Coleman’s discussion of the “first sale doctrine” was not finished. “You’re not free to construct a derivative work from it, which means you can’t take someone else’s book, chop it up, paste it somewhere else, rearrange the pages, and then pass it off as your own book,” the statement reads.

The person in Toronto gives the identical book a new cover but omits Rowling’s name.

The person writes, “Send in your personal copies to be rebound, repaired, and de-Rowlinged,” on the website that promotes the services.

Coleman clarified that the author is neither modifying the book’s substance nor adding a different author’s name.

Coleman has years of courtroom expertise in intellectual property law and is a commercial litigator.