Brought to book: when publishers go to court

A writer has just won a legal battle with Marvel and DC, but how do publishers usually fare in the courts?A writer scored a significant victory over publishers this week, when comic book giants Marvel and DC – who had tried to block Graham Jules from using “superhero” in the title of his self-help manual Business Zero to Superhero – backed down after more than two years, just before a hearing in London. Their double shame (first coming across as bullies, then failing) raises the question: how well do publishers fare when they sue or are sued – are they legal superheroes or zeroes?Regina v Penguin, AKA the Chatterley trial (1960)The crown sought the banning of DH Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover under the Obscene Publications Act, and equally ill-advisedly the prosecution was led by fuddy-duddy Mervyn Griffith-Jones, who notoriously urged jurors to reject the book as one they would not wish their “wife or servants to read”. They backed Penguin’s right to publish instead, in a case seen as heralding 60s permissiveness (or, as portrayed in Larkin’s “Annus Mirabilis”, the arrival of “sexual intercourse”). Publisher win Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Brought to book: when publishers go to court"

Here’s John Waters reading a dirty scene from Lady Chatterley’s Lover.

Recently, we heard about Netflix’s forthcoming adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s famously banned book Lady Chatterley’s Lover (apparently it’s going to be raunchier than Bridgerton, which does seem only fair). To prepare yourself, you may want to start with this video of John Waters—or as William S.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-09-20 16:04:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Bristol University saves historic copy of Lady Chatterley’s Lover

Bristol University has bought a copy of Lady Chatterley’s Lover that once belonged to Sir Laurence Byrne, the judge who presided over the landmark 1960 obscenity case, keeping the historic edition in the UK. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-30 21:53:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Penguin donates £10,000 to Lady Chatterley’s Lover crowdfunder

Penguin has donated £10,000 to the crowdfunding campaign to keep a historic copy of Lady Chatterley’s Lover in the UK. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-05-24 03:23:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Crowdfunder launched to keep historic copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover in UK

English PEN has set up a crowdfunding campaign to keep an historic copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover in the UK. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Export ban on judge's copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover

In a rare move, the Government is appealing for a buyer to pay £56,250 for the obscenity trial judge’s copy of Lady Chatterley’s Lover to stop it leaving the country. Continue reading at The Bookseller