Elizabeth Osborne

Wishful thinking for Spring Break.
I will not be in Mexico. I will be working at Chili's. Fun timessss!




View Adventure Map in a larger map

I am still unsure of what I want to do for my creative response to my project. One thing I was thinking about doing was writing my own fan fiction. Something else I was thinking would be some kind of photo collage that shows how Harry Potter has stayed strong in popularity over the years. However, this idea is similar to what my trailer was. I am obviously going to work on my trailer more and tweek it, so this might end up working out. I'm still a little unsure of which direction I want to go in.

During class, we talked more about the creative response to our projects. I think I would like to do something where I re-write the ending of the last Harry Potter book. I'm not sure if I want to just re-write it the way I would've wanted it to end or if I want to make it an interactive reading. Maybe have links that people can click to help direct the story in several different directions. I would need to do some research on how to set something like that up though.

Rough Draft of Essay:
Whom Does Harry Potter Belong To?





This is still a very rough draft. I was just basically trying to write down some information. I still need to narrow down my topic a little more. I look forward to any comments and criticisms. My essay can cover so much that I'm afraid I am going to branch out too far.

My project is centered around Harry Potter and the phenomenon it has become. The question I am asking is: Whom does Harry Potter belong to? Harry Potter has branched out to so many different forms of media today. It is a book, book-on-tape, movie, computer game, video game, action figures, legos, and a theme park. Not to mention the numerous fan fiction that has been written about it. J.K. Rowling herself has sold the rights to Harry Potter to Warner Brothers and Hasbro. Is she still the "real" owner of Harry Potter? What about the legion of loyal fans? Don't they have some right to it after all these years?

Some people may think that, of course, J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. She created him, and created the magical world that everyone knows and loves. Even if she sold the rights to her work does not mean she is not the real owner. On the other hand, some people will argue that creating something does not necessarily mean that she owns it. Were all of her ideas original? Probably not. In fact, there have been several lawsuits brought against her saying that she stole someone's idea. You can compare Harry Potter very similarly to Lord of the Rings, but that doesn't mean that she was actively trying to make it similar to that story.

I will incorporate Lessig's Remix Culture when I address this argument in my essay. Does remixing something make it yours? If that is the case then Harry Potter belongs to many people. Including J.K. Rowling and the fans alike.

Whom does Harry Potter belong to?

Adler, Shawn. “’Harry Potter’ Author J.K. Rowling’s Copyright Case: Behind All The Legal Jargon.” MTV. April 15, 2008. Web. March 1, 2010.

This is an article I found that is about the “fair use” policy in copyright laws. This is discussing a case where someone other than J.K. Rowling created a “Harry Potter Lexicon”.
This is important because it discusses the legal issues of fan fiction. How far is too far?
I can use this for my project to describe some fan fiction. This can help answer the question of “Whom does Harry Potter belong to?” Fan fiction can sometimes go to far, but is it wrong if it is not done to cause harm?

“Authorship Guidelines”. President and Fellows of Harvard College. December 17, 1999. Web. February 15, 2010.

This is basically an article about authorship guidelines. It gives a brief overview of how authorship works.
This is important because to understand authorship, one should know how to obtain it. This article is really just meant to inform. It doesn’t give too much extra information, so it is more for a scholarly purpose.
This is helpful to my project because I can use it to describe how some things can have authorships that overlap. For example, J.K. Rowling has authorship over the Harry Potter books, but does she necessarily have authorship over the movies?

“Best Sellers.” New York Times. February 15, 2010. Web. February 15, 2010.

This is the New York Times Bestseller book list. This includes all different genres of books, and even has a separate category for each.
This is an important website because it helps to generate buzz about new and upcoming books. It also shows how one form of media can help another. People of all ages can access this site to find books that they may want to purchase for themselves or others.
For my project, this is important because I can use it to, again, prove how movies are helping and enhancing books. For instance, many books that are on the bestseller list are not necessarily new books, but they are being made into a movie. Movies are promoted well before they actually come out and this generates buzz about the book. People will have enough time to buy the book and read it before they see the movie.

Brown, Craig. “Harry Potter story copying claim is ‘absurd’ says JK Rowling.” Scotsman. February 18, 2010. Web. March 1, 2010.

This is an article that gives another side to the copyright debate with Harry Potter. Someone is claiming that J.K. Rowling stole from his or her ideas.
This is important because it shows that Harry Potter was not the first of its kind. This will show that other stories were similar to it, which will help me with the argument and examination of how Harry Potter became so popular.


Brown, Mark. “Film of the Book: Top 50 Adaptations Revealed.” Guardian News and Media Limited. April 19, 2006. Web. February 15, 2010.

This is an article about book-to-movie adaptations. One person is basically giving his opinion on what makes a good adaptation and then gives a list of 50 books that were made into good movies.
This article is important because people may have seen a movie and not even realized it was first a novel. I think this is very unfortunate not only for the author but for the reader. Reading a book and watching a movie are two different by enjoyable experiences. I believe someone will enjoy a movie more if they have read the book at some point.
This is important to my project because I want to show that books turned into movies do not ruin the quality of the book. I want to show that a book can be enhanced by a movie. Some people love the book and hate the movie and vice versa. However, some people like the book even better after seeing the movie.


“Hasbro Wins Wide Range of Rights for Harry Potter from Warner Bros. Consumer Products.” Time Warner. February 11, 2000. Web. March 1, 2010.

This is an article discussing how Hasbro and Warner Brothers both own some form of Harry Potter.
This is important because it gives an example of how widespread the popularity of Harry Potter has become.
I can use this in my project to describe how many forms of media Harry Potter has taken over. I can also use it to give examples of just how big the Harry Potter fandom has become.



Lathey, Gillian. “The Travels of Harry: International Marketing and the Translation of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Books. Project Muse. 2005. Web. March 1, 2010.

This is an article that is discussing the popularity of Harry Potter internationally. It asks and answers the question of “How does a book become an international bestseller?”
This is important because it will help me to hypothesis why Harry Potter has become so popular. Was it the marketing campaign or something else? This article gives me one perspective on the idea.
I can use this to support my arguments of how and why Harry Potter has become as popular as it is. I will also be able to discuss the popularity not only in the United States but worldwide.


Markson, Max. “JK Rowling sued in High Court of England for Major Harry Potter Copyright Breach.” PR Newswire. February 17, 2010. Web. March 1, 2010.

This is another article that is discussing the recent copyright case against J.K. Rowling.
This is important because it gives another perspective on the issues of the copyright case.
I can use this in my project to talk about how idea and originality of Harry Potter is debated, which touches upon the question again of who really owns this idea.

Nel, Philip. "Is There Text in This Advertising Campaign?: Literature, Marketing, and Harry Potter." Project Muse. 2005. Web. March 1, 2010.
This is an article written by Philip Nel that is discussing the 'bonanza' that is Harry Potter. He is describing the marketing campaign and if it has gone too far to promote Harry Potter.
This is an important article because it describes in detail some of the intense and creative marketing that went into making Harry Potter a huge success. Understanding how Harry Potter has become so popular is important to my project.
I can use this to better understand some of the marketing plan for Harry Potter. Also, I can use some of the examples in my movie. This will help to examine the question of "Whom does Harry Potter belong to?"

Popkin, Helen A.S. “Harry Potter and the Copyright Quandary.” MSNBC. April 18, 2008. Web. March 1, 2010.

This is an open letter that was written to J.K. Rowling about her recent lawsuit with the librarian over the “Harry Potter Lexicon.”
This is important because he addresses the question of “Whom does Harry Potter belong to?” Is it really wrong to express your devotion to something that you love? Who was this really hurting?
I can use this to show just how devoted some fans are to Harry Potter. Some people love it so much that they may even feel as if they have some ownership.


Richardson, Megan L. and Tan, David. “The Art of Retelling: Harry Potter and Copyright in a Fan-Literature Era.” Social Science Research Network. March 20, 2009. Web. March 1, 2010.

This is a type of research paper that was written about Harry Potter and Copyright.
This is important because it is able to give accurate facts and opinions about Harry Potter and Fan-fiction and Copyright.
I can use this in my project to either add to my argument or to give a different side to my argument. I can use this to better understand fan-fiction and copyright.

Wu, Time. “Harry Potter and the International Order of Copyright.” Slate. June 27, 2003. Web. March 1, 2010.
This is an article discussing how Harry Potter has affected the young adult book market internationally.
It is important because it shows just how widespread the popularity of Harry Potter is.
I can use this in my project because this article gives examples of how Harry Potter has been reused to create new book series. There are Chinese versions of Harry Potter, Russian versions, etc.