French Teen Detained Over Harry Potter Translation.

With the euphoria over Harry Potter, here is an interesting article from The Sunday Times 12 Aug 07, regarding the detention of a French teen over the illegal translation and posting online of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows within days of its July 21 release.

"PARIS - Was it wizardry that guided him? Or too much free time? Whatever it was, a French 16 year-old was accused of accomplishing a mystifying feat in translating all 759 pages of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows within days of its July 21 release and posting it online.

The problem: It was illegal and the teen spent a night in jail last week and faces charges of intellectual property violation. Author J.K.Rowling's lawyers say networks of other illegal Potter translation span the world, seeking to profit from the boy wizard's global appeal, and are growing more sophisticated with every new new tome.

The alleged French teen translator, a high school student in southern France, likely has less sinister intentions. "He just wanted to get the book online and did not appear to be seeking commercial gain," Aix prosecutor Olivier Rothe said. The boy apparently compiled the entire translation himself, he said.

The teenager, whose name was not released because he is a minor, was picked up following a complaint, then was released after questioning, the prosecutor said. He added that the boy could face charges for violating intellectual property rights.......

.....French police had identified an organised system of online translation networks where unofficial and decent translations of Harry Potter are posted onto website networks and then onto peer-to-peer networks. The manager of these networks derive profit by attracting advertisers. Such translators are becoming more organised as each new book is released and as file-sharing becomes more prevalent..."

Fans in several countries have already posted unofficial translations of the Deathly Hallows online, including in China, where publishers fear it could lead to counterfeit books. Worldwide, the Potter books have sold more than 325 million copies, have been translated into at least 64 languages and have been spun off into a hit movie series.

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