Harry Potter author files DMCA notice on fan project

J.K. Rowling has filed a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) claim against a Kickstarter project that allegedly infringes her copyright for the Harry Potter series.

The Monster Book of Monsters Film Project, which is a collection of 100 horror stories from around the world, allegedly infringes the copyright from both the Harry Potter series of books and films.

In the Harry Potter universe, the Monster Book of Monsters is a textbook used by the characters and contains information on magical creatures. The book itself is sentient and can only be opened once the spine of the book is stroked.

The DMCA claim filed by Rowling alleges that the project infringes copyright and that the project identifies itself as “inspired by the legendary book from the Harry Potter universe” and uses an original title utilised by Rowling.

Following the filing of the DMCA claim, no mention of inspiration appears on the project’s Kickstarter website, with the title changed to “the Monster Film Project”.