The J.K. Rowling Trial

        So the trial in the battle between author J.K. Rowling's right to own all works about her books versus a fan's intention to publish a book about them is over. I hope Harry's creator wins. I agree with her that should Steven Vander Ark's book be cleared for publication it would then open the gates for anyone to take the worlds created by authors and profit from them. I suspect that Vander Ark is completely bewildered by this turn of events because he's an avid fan. And apparently he was also a Star Trek fan. There have been countless books and products produced by fans of that show, so I guess it didn't occur to him that there was anything wrong with continuing the tradition by using Harry Potter.  But should he ever take the time to use his own imagination to create a new world and cast of characters, rather than relying on that already created by someone else, he might have more respect for the blood, sweat and tears that go into the writing process. J.K. Rowling hit the big time, there's no doubt about it. But it's her big time, and should remain so. Vander Ark, it seems to me, needs to get a life--real or imagined--of his own.