J.K. Rowling has made millions of readers happy, but she’s also made eBay India kinda mad. Hurt, actually, in a sort of whiny-little-kid-with-a-lawyer sense. The company objects to the way in which Rowling portrayed a court case.
The Register’s Cade Metz sets the scene, writing, “In the fall of 2004, after spotting auction listings for unauthorized e-books, Rowling’s representatives filed a civil suit against eBay and four book sellers. eBay promptly removed the listings, but three years later, the court has yet to resolve the case.”
In the meantime, Rowling has discussed the matter a time or two, and, in eBay’s opinion (according to the Delhi Newsline), has acted “as if the court had made scathing remarks condemning the role of the company.”
And now eBay has filed an injunction against Rowling. “The distorted manner in which wide publicity is given in the media – print and electronic – has caused immense harassment and humiliation to eBay and also damaged its goodwill and reputation,” the document states.
To be honest, I’m not a big Harry Potter fan, but I still can’t not ridicule eBay India over this. After all, the way in which the company is handling the matter is about the last thing that could help its reputation. Various readers over at The Register seem to feel the same way; at least one suggests that eBay has, or should have, a wand jammed up a certain part of its corporate anatomy.
For any J.K. Rowling – or eBay India – fans out there, the Delhi Newsline states that the case will be heard sometime this year.
