Raincoast Books Obtains Injunction Against Early Disclosure and Reviews of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
July 10, 2005
Vancouver, B.C.
(Vancouver, BC, July 10, 2005) Raincoast Books announced today that they were successful in obtaining a court injunction regarding Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
The eagerly awaited sixth volume in the best-selling series is being released in Canada at one minute past midnight local time on July 16th, 2005.
Madam Justice Gill of the Supreme Court of British Columbia granted to Raincoast Books Distribution Ltd., Bloomsbury Plc and JK Rowling, a John/Jane Doe injunction against the copying or disclosing of all or any part of
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince or any information derived therefrom including without limitation the story, plot or characters of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to any person prior to 12:01 a.m. local time on July 16th.
The case was brought to the Supreme Court of British Columbia on Saturday July 9th, 2005 as the result of a limited breach of the on-sale retail embargo date that involved a single location. The court ordered the return to Raincoast of any copies that have fallen into the hands of unauthorized persons owing to the breach.
The court instructed “... anyone who has directly or indirectly received a copy or any other form of disclosure of Harry Potter 6 from John/Jane Does to deliver to the plaintiff Raincoast Books Distribution Ltd. forthwith any and all copies of Harry Potter 6 in their possession ...”
“Raincoast and Bloomsbury, along with our global partners, have promised fans of Harry Potter that we would do our best to ensure that they would be the first to discover the secrets contained within Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on July 16th,” said Jamie Broadhurst Director of Marketing for Raincoast Books,
“and we felt that we had to take all necessary legal action to keep our promise to Canadian fans.”
Raincoast also announced that it would reward the small number of consumers who had inadvertently purchased at the store in question an early copy of the book, if they returned their copy to Raincoast immediately. Raincoast has issued a notice to the public requesting the immediate return of copies purchased early with details of the special commemorative
gift they will receive in return for their cooperation (see below: Important Notice to All Harry Potter Fans). Raincoast has promised to restore any books returned to it to the relevant individuals at 12:01 a.m. local time on July 16th.
“It is not the intention of Raincoast to penalize the small group of fans who have innocently purchased a book in good faith. We look to them to ensure that the excitement and mystery of the story is preserved for fans around the world until July 16th by cooperating with us and observing the terms of the court injunction.”
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a joint publishing venture in Canada between Raincoast Books Ltd. of Vancouver British Columbia and Bloomsbury Plc of London, England. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will go on sale in Canada and all other major English language markets around the world Saturday July 16th.
The injunction notice can be viewed at: http://raincoast.com/harrypotter/injunction.html
Any legal inquiries should be directed to:
Toronto:
Barbara Grossman
Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP - Toronto
Direct Tel no. (416) 863-4417
Fax no. (416) 863-4592
barbara.grossman@fmc-law.com
Vancouver:
Clayton W. Caverly
Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP-Vancouver
Direct Tel no. (604) 443-7126
Fax no. (604) 683-5214
clayton.caverly@fmc-law.com
All media inquires regarding Harry Potter books in Canada should be directed to:
Jamie Broadhurst at 604-323-7124 or jamie@raincoast.com
Anyone who has purchased or otherwise obtained a copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince before the publication date of July 16th should contact Raincoast immediately at 1-800-663-5714 or 604-323-7100.
After hours please contact 604-968-0027 or 604-841-9206 or info@raincoast.com
NOTICE TO PUBLIC TO BE PUBLISHED IN FULL
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IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL HARRY POTTER FANS
July 16th is rapidly approaching, and for all Harry Potter fans this is the day when they will be reunited with the wonderful world J.K. Rowling
has created. Not long now, and the magic will once again be enjoyed.
We know that many children and adults around the world cannot wait to read the new book, but we urge anyone who may have bought a copy of
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at The Real Canadian Superstore, 3000 Lougheed Highway, Coquitlam, British Columbia on
Thursday July, 7, 2005, where it was temporarily placed on sale early or who have otherwise obtained it before July 16th 2005, to return their
copies to Raincoast Books for just a few more days to preserve the excitement for all Harry Potter fans alike.
We can’t send Hedwig but can come to collect your copy and will hold it in safekeeping until 12.01am local time on the July 16th, where it
will be presented back to you with an extra special gift — a signed book plate from the author herself and a limited special edition T-Shirt
designed by the publishers for the Harry Potter Launch Weekend, as a way of thanking you for your cooperation.
This way, on July 16th you will join the rest of the world reading this wonderful new adventure in the series. We urge you to wait and join us.
It is also important that we make you aware that the Supreme Court of British Columbia made an Order protecting the contents of the book.
The terms of the Court Order mean that if you have obtained a copy of the book early you must not disclose or reveal any information about its
contents or give any copies that you may have to anyone else. The Court Order also requires anyone who has a copy or copies of the book to return
them to Raincoast immediately.
Anyone with information about copies of HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE that have been sold early, or if you have bought a copy yourself,
please urgently contact Raincoast.
Anyone who has purchased or otherwise obtained a copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince before the publication date of July 16th
should contact Raincoast immediately at 1-800-663-5714 or 604-323-7100. After hours please contact 604-968-0027 or 604-841-9206 or info@raincoast.com
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