Plagiarism... if it can happen to JK Rowlings, can it happen to you?

Plagiarism is one of those things, like copyright, that artists of all media need to watch. They say there are only seven themes for storytelling, and music has finite permutations, so how can an artist be sure they are not inadvertently rehashing someone else's ideas. It isn't easy. The more you read, and the more you write, the more likely other sources will influence your work. The question facing J K Rowlings I guess, is how can she prove she had not read the book in question.  It will be interesting to see how the court case is decided. Sadly there is too much money involved. 

JKRowlings in court for plagiarism

From Third Age News

J.K. Rowling is being sued for plagiarism, and a judge refuses to dismiss the lawsuit.

The estate of the late author Adrian Jacobs sued Rowling and her publishers, accusing her of plagiarizing Jacobs’ 1987 book, “The Adventures of Willy the Wizard – No.1 Livid Land.” They say that her book “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” the fourth book the Harry Potter series, copied substantial parts of the 16-page “Willy the Wizard.”

Rowling and her publishers, Bloomsbury Publishing PL, applied for the case to be immediately dropped. They say that the Jacob estate’s copyright infringement claims have no chance of succeeding.

Read more: http://www.thirdage.com/news/jk-rowling-lawsuit-judge-refuses-drop-plagiarism-accusations_10-14-2010#ixzz12OIZig9G