Lawsuits and bookstores, oh my

I thought I'd share a pair of articles from the New York Times.

First, the big news: Harry Potter Author Wins Copyright Ruling

This was an incredibly complicated case, with lots of potential precedents hanging on the verdict. To me, the key sentence in the ruling by Judge Patterson (which isn't in the New York Times article, but which you can find at the Leaky Cauldron) is:

“While the Lexicon, in its current state, is not a fair use of the Harry Potter works, reference works that share the Lexicon’s purpose of aiding readers of literature generally should be encouraged rather than stifled.”

To read the full 68 page decision, see this PDF on the Wall Street Journal's website.

What do you think? Leave a comment or vote in the new poll.

And second: Children's Bookstores, Hanging On
I was surprised with this one. It only briefly mentions the two famous children's bookstores in Manhattan: Books of Wonder and the Bank Street Bookstore... and then focuses on the Scholastic Bookstore. Don't get me wrong, Scholastic's store is fantastic. But, it's owned by a publisher and doesn't feature the variety of publishers that other independent stores do. For some great children's bookstores (and to find one near you), check out the Association of Booksellers for Children.

Also, the article mentions the closing of a famed bookstore in Alexandria in 2007, (A Likely Story) but does not mention the fact that a new children's bookstore reopened in the same location in 2008 under new management as Hooray for Books!