Steven Vander Ark

Steven Vander Ark is the creator of the Harry Potter Lexicon, an online encyclopedia of the Harry Potter series. RDR Books was to publish Vander Ark's Potter encyclopedia but Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling filed a lawsuit against the book's publication claiming copyright infringement.

The hearings began on April 14, 2008 and on September 8, 2008, a New York City district court ruled that publication of the lexicon should be halted. Judge Robert Patterson said that RDR Books had "failed to establish an affirmative defense of fair use".Guardian: JK Rowling Wins Copyright Claim (September 8, 2008)

• "We are encouraged by the fact the Court recognized that as a general matter authors do not have the right to stop the publication of reference guides and companion books about literary works. As for the Lexicon, we are obviously disappointed with the result, and RDR is considering all of its options"— Roger RapoportMLive.com: Local Publisher Disappointed (September 8, 2008)