Harry Potter and the Durga Puja

I'm always on the lookout for IP stories touching children's literature, with Harry Potter disputes being a particular favourite. Well the latest one it appears is that J.K.Rowling is suing the organisers of a Durga puja Hindu religious festival for using a Harry Potter theme in the temporary structure they built to celebrate their goddess.

"Taking umbrage at the organisers using her characters without her permission, Rowling had sued the organizers on October 8, asking for Rs 20 lakh for copyright violation...

The Puja committee members are at their wits’ end. The organisers claimed they had no clue that they had to seek permission from the author and her publishers. “We will attend the court and are ready to apologise for this mistake,” said Roy Chowdhury.

But the organisers also plan to request them to scale down the compensation.

The setting at FD Park was almost complete, with the blue tipped Hogwarts castle and the flaming red Hogwarts Express all set to chug off from platform 9-3/4.

The designers had planned to place lifesize models of the bespectacled Potter and his companions inside the pandal."

IPKat wonders at the validity of the suit.