The settlement in January of Judith Regan’s lawsuit against News Corp. and HarperCollins was for $10.75 million, according to a court filing yesterday by Dreier LLP. The firm originally represented Regan in the case, and then sued her in a dispute over their fee after the settlement was reached.Bloomberg Following the revelation, Regan said she is seeking the dismissal of Dreier’s suit against her, arguing that they violated a nondisclosure agreement in revealing her settlement amount.
Lawsuit
Revised HP Lexicon Comes to Market
When Judge Robert Patterson barred publication of RDR Books’ THE HARRY POTTER LEXICON, his ruling made it clear that the biggest problem was the lifting of JK Rowling’s words and the “almost wholesale” incorporation of information in the two minor charity companion books, Fantastic Beasts and Quidditch Through the Ages. The publisher and author have done the sensible thing–rewrite the book, using Judge Patterson’s decision as “rule book.” They will issue the revised Lexicon in January, with the new subtitle, An Unauthorized Guide to Harry Potter Fiction and Related Materials. RDR has withdrawn its appeal of the court’s ruling, a […]
SSE Book Draws Two Lawsuits
Author Jay Louis and publisher Simon Spotlight Entertainment are facing two recently-filed lawsuits over the book HOT CHICKS WITH DOUCHEBAGS. Three New Jersey women filed suit last month, charging “commercial exploitation” of their likenesses without consent and invasion of privacy by depicting them as “dubious females who hate men.” The complaint notes, “this belief and/or depictation [sic] is not open for public observation, but is rather a private matter.” Last Friday, club promoter Michael Minnelli filed suit in Las Vegas, charging that his depiction in the book is “derogatory, offensive, and otherwise defamatory.” The plaintiff says he has been “the […]
NY Judge Tentatively OKs Google Deal
While blog posts and press releases around the world have been full of carping about the proposed settlement of two lawsuits against Google related to their Book Search library project, the judge in the matter had a much simpler response: tentative approval. Judge John Sprizzo’s order was made public yesterday, and he set a June 11 date for a fairness hearing to “decide if the deal is fair, reasonable and adequate.” AP
Google Settles
Lawsuits brought by the Authors Guild on a class-action basis and five large publishers as representatives of Association of American Publishers against Google have been settled, pending approval by the US District Court. The release notes that “the agreement acknowledges the rights and interests of copyright owners, provides an efficient means for them to control how their intellectual property is accessed online and enables them to receive compensation for online access to their works.” Yes, compensation. Google will pay a total of $125 million, “to establish the Book Rights Registry, to resolve existing claims by authors and publishers and to […]
Sister Sues Sister over Novel
Author of GILDING LILY Tatiana Boncompagni Hoover has sued her sister Natasha, alleging copyright infringement in charging that she secretly copied portions of the forthcoming novel HEDGE FUND WIVES. But the suit is also designed to invalidate claims by Natasha of rights in the work. Reuters says there are two filings for the book with the US Copyright Office–a joint copyright for both sisters submitted by Natasha, and a subsequent one from Hoover. The suit acknowledges that Natasha at the least “occasionally provided ideas relating” to the book. It claims that Natasha “shocked” her sister in asking for co-author credit […]