Lomarcan
2004-12-23 23:01:07 UTC
PYTHON LAWSUIT HALTS PUBLICATION OF SIXTH "POTTER" BOOK
Press Release--American News Kiosk
December 23, 2004
UK--The 2005 publication of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the
sixth book in the wildly popular series by J. K. Rowling, has been postponed
indefinitely due to a copyright lawsuit filed by, strangely enough, fellow
Brits John Cleese, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, and Michael Palin, the surviving
members of the "Monty Python" comedy troupe.
In episode 7 of "Monty Python's Flying Circus," a skit titled "Science
Fiction Sketch" has a character named Harold Potter. The episode was first
aired November 11, 1969, which the Python's solicitor (A. Elliott) claims
gives them exclusive rights to the use of the name.
In the sketch, Harold Potter was the first person in England to become a
victim of invaders from another planet: huge, sentient blancmanges from the
planet Skyron in the galaxy of Andromeda. These blancmanges use a ray to
change people into Scotsmen, as part of an overall scheme to win at
Wimbledon. The Pythons point to numerous similarities between their "Harold
Potter" and Rowling's "Harry Potter": they both live in England, they are
both male, they both wear glasses, both possess the same number of limbs,
and both of them are removed from the natural course of their lives due to
unexpected circumstances. It is unknown if Harold Potter (played by Michael
Palin) had a scar on his forehead -- the character wore a hat both before
and after his transformation.
"The Python group is well-known for having characters with bizarre names,"
Elliott argues. "Mrs. Non-Gorilla, Snivelling Little Rat-Faced Git, Jethro
Walrustitty...'Harold Potter' is clearly another of their unique creations.
When the episode first aired, Rowling was 4 years old, making it highly
unlikely that she thought of the name first."
If the outcome of the suit falls in favor of the Pythons, they will be
entitled to a significant percentage of the author's earnings from the Harry
Potter books, movies, and related merchandise, estimated at £435m (Times
Online, 18 April 2004). Rowling has not publicly responded to the suit;
however, the Pythons were unofficially quoted as saying: "We didn't expect
the Spanish Inquisition."
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Press Release--American News Kiosk
December 23, 2004
UK--The 2005 publication of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the
sixth book in the wildly popular series by J. K. Rowling, has been postponed
indefinitely due to a copyright lawsuit filed by, strangely enough, fellow
Brits John Cleese, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, and Michael Palin, the surviving
members of the "Monty Python" comedy troupe.
In episode 7 of "Monty Python's Flying Circus," a skit titled "Science
Fiction Sketch" has a character named Harold Potter. The episode was first
aired November 11, 1969, which the Python's solicitor (A. Elliott) claims
gives them exclusive rights to the use of the name.
In the sketch, Harold Potter was the first person in England to become a
victim of invaders from another planet: huge, sentient blancmanges from the
planet Skyron in the galaxy of Andromeda. These blancmanges use a ray to
change people into Scotsmen, as part of an overall scheme to win at
Wimbledon. The Pythons point to numerous similarities between their "Harold
Potter" and Rowling's "Harry Potter": they both live in England, they are
both male, they both wear glasses, both possess the same number of limbs,
and both of them are removed from the natural course of their lives due to
unexpected circumstances. It is unknown if Harold Potter (played by Michael
Palin) had a scar on his forehead -- the character wore a hat both before
and after his transformation.
"The Python group is well-known for having characters with bizarre names,"
Elliott argues. "Mrs. Non-Gorilla, Snivelling Little Rat-Faced Git, Jethro
Walrustitty...'Harold Potter' is clearly another of their unique creations.
When the episode first aired, Rowling was 4 years old, making it highly
unlikely that she thought of the name first."
If the outcome of the suit falls in favor of the Pythons, they will be
entitled to a significant percentage of the author's earnings from the Harry
Potter books, movies, and related merchandise, estimated at £435m (Times
Online, 18 April 2004). Rowling has not publicly responded to the suit;
however, the Pythons were unofficially quoted as saying: "We didn't expect
the Spanish Inquisition."
-----------------
ACRONYM THE NEWS SOURCE
ANAGRAM THE SOLICITOR
SMILE!