The Harry Potter trial - a copyright revolution

The 'Harry Potter Trial' has astounded many in fan fiction across the globe.

Harry Potter 'Superfan' Steven Vander Ark was once a highly revered Potter authority among fans.

His Web site - The Harry Potter Lexicon - an obsessive catalog of spells, characters and creatures in J.K. Rowling's novels - has been a hit among fellow fans. He spoke at conventions. Journalists turned to him for interviews and information. He was a guest on NBC's "Today" show.

Even better, Rowling knew who he was. She gave his site an award and confessed that even she occasionally used its online encyclopedia as a reference guide.

Warner Bros. invited him onto the set of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." He even made it on to the DVD, appearing in a documentary included in the special features.

So how can Rowling and Warner Bros now perform a complete 180? How can they now, after previously revering his work, reduce the man to tears in a New York Courthouse?

Simple, business.

While online, Vander Ark's Lexicon is a FREE resource, one that is readily available to fans across the world. The problem came when Vander Ark and RDR Books tried putting the book into print.

With Rowling planning her own 'encyclopedia' Vander Ark now poses a very real threat in financial terms. The Lexicon, which for years had been seen as the ultimate Potter authority, now must be removed to ensure strong sales for Rowling's next book.

Forgive me if that sounds a little 'conspiracy theory' but ultimately that's what it comes down to - dollars and cents.

Copyright law has many grey areas, none more so than the Internet. People cut, copy and paste things that you would never get away with in the real world.

Images are shared and spread, songs get remixed by kids in their rooms - the Internet is a playground for the imagination. And with so many copyright infringements occurring online on a daily basis, it's damn near impossible to enforce these laws.

"There is almost a parallel universe," said Alan Behr, an intellectual property lawyer in New York. "On the Internet, people basically do things you would never do in print."

And I can completely agree with him, even Original Sharp Says could be seen as guilty of copyright infringement from one time or another. We post many pictures on this site, many videos and also quote from other news articles from time to time.

By (trying) to put his labour of love into print form, Vander Ark has stepped out from the safety blanket of the Internet, and the wolves have pounced.

Admittedly, Rowling has handed something of an olive branch out to the emotional Vander Ark.

She said this past Wednesday, on the last day of the trial, “I never ever once wanted to stop Mr. Vander Ark from doing his own guide — never ever, do your book, but please, change it so it does not take as much of my work.”

The final decision will be made in around three weeks, allowing time for additional documents to be filed with Judge Patterson.

What comes next, could affect the majority of companies and websites online today. I'll be watching very closely, and if you keep a blog, or even just share pictures, then you should do too.

Check out The Harry Potter Lexicon (while you still can)