Breaking News: Salinger Wins
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The publication of a book that novelist J.D. Salinger said ripped off his classic “The Catcher in the Rye” was halted by a U.S. federal judge on Wednesday.
The judge ruled in favor of Salinger after the reclusive writer last month sued to block publication of “60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye” by Swedish author Fredrik Colting, written under the pen name John David California.
U.S. District Judge Deborah Batts said the main character in Colting’s novel — Mr. C. — was “an infringement” on Salinger’s main character, Holden Caulfield.
AuthorScoop
July 1st, 2009 at 6:04 pm
I hope Salinger gets his attorney fees covered in this judgement. A writer should not need to wage a defense of copyright like this. What a waste of everyone’s time and energy (including Johnny California who wrote a useless book).
So Salinger writes every day and won’t publish a thing? Weird.
July 1st, 2009 at 6:52 pm
it’s been interesting re-reading ian hamilton’s biography “in search of jd salinger” through the prism of recent events. i’m convinced that salinger simply wants to write what he wants to write, free from the interference and distraction of the publishing industry and its expectations. i certainly hope that he has written all these years and that we get to see it. i just can’t begrudge the man his desire for isolation.
July 1st, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Recently I wrote a 100-page comparative research paper on the treatment of parody in the copyright laws of common law countries and selected European countries. Thus, I could not help but voice my thoughts regarding the ongoing dispute between J.D. Salinger and the author and publishers of a purported sequel to The Catcher in the Rye.
I have posted my new article “Why Courts Should Not Allow the Parody Exception to Make a Parody of the Copyright Law” at http://mincov.com/articles/index.php/fullarticle/Salinger_Parody/
I hope you don’t mind me using your blog to advertise it. I would appreciate any comments you may have with regard to my article.
July 1st, 2009 at 8:54 pm
thank you, andrei. this was the crux of the article for me:
“Finally, there is nothing wrong with an author’s decision to live secluded from the public eye after publication of a phenomenally successful book. Salinger must have made this decision on the basis of trust in the protection offered by the copyright laws. This is the deal between the author and the public. The public should not attempt to force an author into writing new works by removing protection from the existing ones. That the value of the work is so great that it allows the author the luxury of living as a recluse should not be used against the author by depriving the author of the promised protection.”
thanks for sharing the link. i’ve blurbed it:
http://authorscoop.com/2009/07/01/the-salinger-case-and-copyright-law/
July 1st, 2009 at 10:15 pm
thank you for blurping my article
that was quick.
I noticed that I had some script bugs with it being impossible to post comments. I hope that I have fixed it now.