Nancy Stouffer.

Nancy Kathleen Stouffer, also known as N. K. Stouffer, is an author who wrote children's books in the 1980s. Most famously, she wrote The Legend of Rah and the Muggles (in 1984) and Larry Potter and His Best Friend Lilly. Image File history File links Nancystouffer. ... Image File history File links Nancystouffer. ... Basic Characteristics There is some debate as to what constitutes childrens literature. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... Nancy Kathleen Stouffer, also known as N. K. Stouffer, is an author who wrote childrens books in the 1980s. ... See also: 1983 in literature, other events of 1984, 1985 in literature, list of years in literature. ...

Stouffer accused J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, of plagiarism, claiming that Rowling infringed on her trademark to the term Muggles and on her copyright to illustrations of Larry Potter. Rowling filed a lawsuit against Stouffer in the United States to stop the claims, and Stouffer filed a countersuit alleging the infringement. The court ruled in favor of Rowling. J. K. Rowling Joanne Jo Rowling, OBE (born 31 July 1965) is an English fiction writer who writes under the pseudonym of J. K. Rowling. ... This article is about the Harry Potter series. ... Plagiarism is a form of academic malpractice specifically referring to the use of anothers information, language, or writing, when done without proper acknowledgment of the original source. ... A trademark (Commonwealth English: trade mark) is a distinctive sign of some kind which is used by a business to uniquely identify itself and its products and services to consumers, and to distinguish the business and its products or services from those of other businesses. ... Muggle is a term from the fictional Harry Potter series of books that refers to a human who is a member of the non-magical community. ... Copyright symbol. ... A lawsuit is a civil action brought before a court in which the party commencing the action, the plaintiff, seeks a legal remedy. ...

Comparison of books and characters

The Legend of Rah and the Muggles.

The Muggles in Stouffer's book are different from those in Rowling's. What was allegedly infringed was the term— not characters or story ideas. Image File history File links Rahmuggles. ... Image File history File links Rahmuggles. ...

Harry Potter's mother is Lily, similar to Larry Potter's friend Lilly. Harry Potter's first name rhymes with Larry, and the last names are identical. Harry and Larry both wear glasses and have black hair. Larry's hair is wavy; Harry's is "unruly". Larry Potter does not appear in The Legend of Rah and the Muggles—he is a character in a series of activity books created by Stouffer and reprinted recently. There is confusion about whether Larry actually had a last name in the original activity books, which are now impossible to find.

The names Nevils and Nimbus also appear in Stouffer's books. ("Nimbus" does not appear in The Legend of Rah and the Muggles but in an unpublished book by Stouffer, raising the question of precisely from whence Rowling is supposed to have stolen it.) In Rowling's books, there is a character named Neville Longbottom, and a brand of flying broomstick is Nimbus 2000. Neville is a common British given name, whereas Nimbus is a Latin word cognate to halo. Neville Longbottom (born 30 July 1980)[1] is a fictional character in the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling. ... In the fictional universe of the Harry Potter series, created by author J. K. Rowling, magical flying broomsticks are one of the most popular forms of transportation for wizards and witches, as well as used for magical games like Quidditch. ... Neville may refer to the following: Places: Néville, France, a communes of the Seine-Maritime département Neville, New South Wales Neville, Ohio Ships: USS Neville (APA-9) an attack transport for the US Navy during World War II. People: The Neville family which lived at Lotherton Hall Wendell... A given name specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Halo around the sun at the South Pole (NOAA) A halo (also known as a nimbus or Gloriole) is a ring of light that surrounds an object. ...

There is disagreement about whether the terms "Muggles" and "Larry Potter" appeared in the original titles of Stouffer's books. Stouffer claims that they did, but the court judged in the lawsuit that her evidence for this was altered. The name "Larry Potter" may never have appeared in the book at all. Stouffer's web site [1] advertises a $100 reward for an original edition that will prove that it did appear. She continues campaigning on her website.

Stouffer went so far as to point out that (as is true) J. K. Rowling is a pen name adopted for the series, which she points out more like her own N. K. Stouffer writing moniker, claiming that this is also intentional.

Outcome of court case

In September 2002, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York found not only that Rowling did not pilfer the Muggles, but also that Stouffer had lied to the court and doctored evidence to support her claims. Judge Allen G. Schwartz fined Stouffer $50,000 for this "pattern of intentional bad faith conduct" [2]. Stouffer was also ordered to pay a portion of the plaintiff's attorney's fees. 2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties: New York, Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess, and Sullivan. ...

Stouffer maintains her position and denies the allegations from Rowling and Scholastic Press that resulted in the ruling. She filed a Motion for Reconsideration with the Court. When that motion was denied, she appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The Appeals Court upheld the lower court's decision. Scholastic Inc. ... The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: District of Connecticut Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of New York District of Vermont The Second Circuit hears argument at the Thurgood Marshall U...

External links

• The Real Muggles—describes Stouffer's position, including a comparison chart showing the alleged infringements.
• "Court throws out 'Muggles' claims against Rowling"—an article from USA Today, dated September 18, 2002.
• US District Court Decision