On December 23 the Authors Guild and the named author plaintiffs filed notice with New York federal court that it intends to appeal Judge Denny Chin’s November 14 dismissal of the case on fair use grounds. The AG was told on December 10 that it had two weeks to file an appeal, and did so right on schedule. Meanwhile, Apple and the Department of Justice continue to square off over the effectiveness of independent monitor Michael Bromwich, with the DOJ filing a 30-page rebuttal to Apple’s request for a stay after it accused Bromwich of charging too much, taking up […]
Court Affirms Pre-1923 Sherlock Holmes Characters Are in Public Domain, Free for Use
Just before Christmas the matter of Sherlockian Leslie Klinger’s lawsuit against the Conan Doyle Estate to establish whether the character Sherlock Holmes was in the public domain, and that derivative works did not require licensing fees, was resolved, with Judge Ruben Castillo of Illinois federal court granting Klinger’s summary judgment motion for the most part. In his 22-page opinion, Castillo ruled that Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and any other character first introduced in the 46 Conan Doyle stories and four novels published before 1923 are in the public domain and free for use — but that story elements from 10 […]
Bookselling: New Owners (Again) for That Bookstore in Blytheville; Main Street Books to Close; and More
That Bookstore in Blytheville has changed hands for the second time in just over a year. The Blytheville Courier reports that Chris Crawley and Yolanda Harrison acquired the store from Grant Hill, who bought it from original owner Mary Gay Shipley. Crawley and Harrison had begun discussions with Shipley — whom Crawley described as an “old friend” — even before Hill assumed ownership, then re-approached Hill once it was clear he was looking to sell. The new owners will officially take over the Blytheville, AK store in January with a grand re-opening. Main Street Books in St. Charles, MO will […]
People: Ned Vizzini, 32, Dies
Author Ned Vizzini, 32, committed suicide Thursday evening in Brooklyn, the borough medical examiner’s office confirmed to us (as well as to the LAT.) Vizzini wrote the young adult novels IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY, turned into the 2010 film of the same name, THE OTHER NORMALS and BE MORE CHILL, as well as the middle-grade novel HOUSE OF SECRETS (co-written with director Chris Columbus), with a sequel set to be published by Balzer + Bray on March 25. Vizzini also worked as a TV writer on shows including “Teen Wolf” and “The Last Resort.” He is survived by […]
People: Janson-Smith to Retire
Patrick Janson-Smith will retire in fall 2014 when he turns 65, after his fortieth consecutive Frankfurt Book Fair. He is currently publisher of the boutique imprint Blue Door at Harper UK, which he founded in 2008. The line will close after his retirement. He says: “The industry has changed so much in the past few years. The whole industry is in a bit of a mess at the moment, but it can only get better. I think Stephen Page said, if you can’t understand it, get out. I think that’s good advice, which I intend to follow. I’m a book man, and I […]
Shareholder Sues Barnes & Noble Over Earnings Restatement and SEC Investigation
The SEC’s two investigations into accounting issues at Barnes & Noble have provoked at least one shareholder lawsuit, filed in New York State Supreme Court on Wednesday. In his complaint, David Shaev accuses the bookseller’s board and several of its executives of breaching fiduciary duties and an abuse of control. “Barnes & Noble has operated with deficient and inadequate financial reporting and inventory management systems since at least 2001,” Shaev said in his complaint. “These systems do not adhere to industrywide best practices and company internal audits have repeatedly shown them to be unreliable and subject to manipulation.” Later he […]