The trustee of the estate of a British author has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Scholastic Inc., the publishing company behind the Harry Potter series. This is not the first time California business and commercial litigation lawyers have learned of lawsuits by the trustee against entities involved in the Harry Potter success. Similar lawsuits were filed against the British publishers of the Harry Potter series, as well as JK Rowling, the author of the series in 2009 and 2010. Those cases are still pending.

According to the trustee for the estate of the late Adrian Jacobs, JK Rowling copied the theme for the book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, from a book written by Adrian Jacobs, called The Adventures of Willy the Wizard-No. 1 Livid Land. The Willy the Wizard book was published in 1987, and the Harry Potter book that the plaintiff alleges was copied from it, was published in the year 2000.

The lawsuit is based on certain similarities between the two books. The main theme of both books includes a year-long struggle as part of a contest to become a wizard which in the Harry Potter book, Potter ultimately wins. There are other similarities in the books, the lawsuit alleges. Both the protagonists, Willie and Harry, are required to understand their task that is central to winning the contest, and in both books, the protagonists uncover the task in the bathroom. In both books, according to the lawsuit, the tasks involve rescuing imprisoned communities of half human-half animal creatures. The Willie the Wizard book has not been published in the United States. Scholastic Inc. is denying that there is any merit to the case.

The copyright infringement lawsuit seeks that Scholastic Inc. stop selling all copies of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It also asks that all existing copies of the book be destroyed, and that the company pay the estate of Adrian Jacobs all profits that it has received from the sale of the book.