CBC have reported that “Wyrd Sisters”, a Canadian folk group, is suing Warner Bros along with Radiohead and Pulp for $40 million, and are trying to prevent the distribution of the movie “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” in Canada. Members of Radiohead and Pulp play members of a fictional band called “Wyrd Sisters” in the film. CBC states that in “their statement of claim the Winnipeg group said the movie infringes on their trademark rights and will damage their reputation.” This is what happened according to the “Wyrd Sisters” webpage: “It all started with a phone call recently from a warner bros lawyer. The fellow said: ‘We're making a big movie and putting together a band of famous musicians together called the wyrd sisters. We're going to make a big splash, sound tracks the whole shebang! So... you don't want our army of lawyers shutting down your girls' band... sign this piece of paper and we'll give you $5000.’…Here's the way it is. We said no. It is our name. We own it. We're not about to be threatened into giving up our name. And Warner Bros has no business making a movie with a band with our name in it without at least some simple courtesy.” However, to make things more complicated, it has to be observed that the first person to use “The Wyrd Sisters” as a title was that other British author of comic fantasy, Terry Pratchett. “Wyrd Sisters” is the title of a novel in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, published in 1988, 2 years before the formation of the “Wyrd Sisters” band.
For more Harry Potter news, and a J K Rowling biography with links to J K Rowling interviews, articles, reviews, and a "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" reading guide, please visit:http://www.authortrek.com/j_k_rowling_page.html
