Browsing through the book “Complex Copyright” by Deborah Tussey I came across a paragraph discussing the Harry Potter series and the fact that “Rowling, her publishers, and Warner Brothers studios have already been involved in a number of legal actions around the world defending against claims that Rowling copied the works of others”(7). I think this just goes to show that when people have similar ideas (which is obviously bound to happen), they do not like to admit that another person’s idea of a similar nature was in fact original and more successful than their own. Perhaps this is why so many copyright lawsuits similar to the above occur.
Link to the online book: docDetail.action?docID=10518240
I feel like a lot of this stems from jealously. Almost like people see someone take something similar to their ideas and really run with it and become successful. Sometimes I just think it is difficult for people to see someone have something the could have potentially done.
I agree with ^. A lot of it stems from jealousy. Other authors might have had similar ideas but they were unable to put it together in a way that J.K. Rowling was able to and she made a lot of money for telling the story so well. People shouldn’t be suing her. It’s only because people want money.
In a slightly unrelated note, so often plot lines are repeated in literature. Some authors find ways to connect with the audience and tell a story whereas some fall short with the same message, as you both said above. This discussion reminded me of a post I saw on Buzzfeed entitled, “Scenes To Include In Your Movie If You Are Nicholas Sparks.” http://www.buzzfeed.com/kdries/scenes-to-include-in-your-movie-if-you-are-nicholas-sparks Repetition done well (enough) pays off I guess?