Rowling slams Harry Potter plagiarism charges

London (ANI): JK Rowling has described the plagiarism charges against her as “absurd". Administrators of late children's writer Adrian Jacobs" estate had filed a lawsuit against the author"s publisher Bloomsbury Plc last year. It claimed that Rowling in 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" had copied a substantial part of Mr Jacobs'' novel The Adventures of Willy The Wizard – No 1 Livid Land, published in 1987.

Now, the lawsuit has been changed to include Rowling in a personal capacity. However, the Edinburgh-based author has slammed all allegations. "I am saddened that yet another claim has been made that I have taken material from another source to write Harry," the Scotsman quoted her as saying. She added: “The fact is I had never heard of the author or the book before the first accusation by those connected to the author''s estate in 2004; I have certainly never read the book."

Meanwhile, the trustee of the estate of Adrian Jacobs, Paul Allen, said: "The estate, which acts independently of Adrian Jacobs family, has been in correspondence with lawyers for Rowling and her publishers for several years but have been repeatedly rebuffed. "We have taken expert legal advice and we believe we have very strong case. We have only joined JK Rowling, now Mrs Murray, to our lawsuit against Bloomsbury after discovering legal cause of action against her within the last six years."

He concluded that the case being heard in the High Court in England, was about "upholding our legal copyright and seeking proper compensation" and asking for the "breach of copyright to be stopped"