Online Potter translation sparks legal controversy
( 2003-07-30 07:08) (China Daily)
Impatient Harry Potter fans have sparked a legal row by putting their own
translations of J.K. Rowling's latest novel online.
The English-language
edition of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was published worldwide in
June by Bloomsbury but an official Chinese translation is not due for
publication until September.
The unauthorized online translation had
already covered 35 of the book's 38 chapters by Monday.
Those behind the
online Chinese version stressed that their actions arose out of "personal
interest and partly discontent at the slowness of the authorized publishing
house.''
Supporters of the amateur translators said the online
translation was not aimed at making a profit, which made it "totally different
from illegal publishers''.
However, both legal experts and government
officials said the translators of the online version have  violated the author's
copyright.
A law professor surnamed Shen from Beijing's Renmin University
of China said: "People are allowed to translate anything but have to keep it to
themselves. Once their translations are accessible to the public, they have
violated the author's copyright, no matter whether or not their purpose was to
make a profit.''
Duan Yuping, an official with the State Press and
Publication Administration, said that the Copyright Law stipulates that those
who translate works without authorization and those who spread works through an
information network without authorization have to bear civil and criminal
responsibility.
"In this case, the translators of the online Chinese
version will be investigated under the law only when the book's copyright owner
sues,'' said Duan.
The administration only takes action against copyright
violations that threaten the public interest, the official said.
The
People's Literature Publishing House, the authorized publisher of the book's
translation in simplified Chinese characters, said it would not sue the online
translators because it has not acquired the right to publish the book in
electronic form.
However, it said it is confident that sales of the
authorized Chinese translation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will
not be affected by the spread of the online version.
The publisher's Sun
Shunlin said: "To my knowledge, these online translators and the fans supporting
them are actually firm supports of the authentic Harry Potter books. They may be
among the first buyers of the authentic Harry Potter books.''
A fan who
gave her name only as Fang said she would buy the authorized translation
published by the People's Literature Publishing House because the language of
the authorized Harry Potter translations is "so fluent and easy to read, unlike
many other translated novels.''
The publishing house did worry about
illegal publishers using the online translation to print pirated Harry Potter
books, Sun said.
Sun said that he has seen six or seven pirated versions
of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in some cities.
China's
National Anti-Piracy and Pornography Working Committee is organizing action
against pirated Harry Potter books to ensure the sale of the authorized books,
according to the committee's Men Lijun.
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