Indeed! The empire of the Harry Potter franchise has long arms. Trade mark H.P. is guarded like the Fort Knox (is Fort Knox still being guarded?). Any infringement, real or perceived, on the pricey trademark is cause for legal action. A Mumbai based film company is now feeling the wrath of the magical money making machine of J. K. Rowling / Warner Bros. for supposedly playing fast and loose with the Harry Potter name. Can Warner really prove theft of intellectual property in this case? Hari is indeed a common Indian name and puttar does mean "son" in Punjabi. If the story line of the film does not mimic any of Rowling’s own literary creations, what is the problem? A lot of hogwash from Hogwarts in my opinion. (story via WSJ Law Blog; link: Dean)
NEW DELHI, India (Hollywood Reporter) – Warner Bros. has filed a lawsuit against Mumbai-based producer/distributor Mirchi Movies related to the title of its upcoming film "Hari Puttar — A Comedy of Terrors," which Warners feels is a tad too similar to its franchise about a certain young wizard.
The case is being heard in the Bombay High Court and comes up for hearing Monday (August 25). "Hari Puttar," a comedy that centers on a 10-year-old Indian boy whose family moves to England, is slated for a September 12 release.
"We have recently commenced proceedings against parties involved in the production and distribution of a movie entitled ‘Hari Puttar,"’ London-based Warners spokeswoman Deborah Lincoln said. "Warner Bros. values and protects intellectual property rights. However, it is our policy not to discuss publicly the details of any ongoing litigation."
The Hari Puttar name began making the rounds here as a comic gag when the first "Harry Potter" film was released. Hari is a popular Indian name, and "puttar" means "son" in the Punjabi language.
"Since the case is sub-judice, we can’t comment as of now," Mirchi Movies CEO Munish Purii said. "However, we registered the ‘Hari Puttar’ title in 2005, and it’s unfortunate that Warner has chosen to file a case so close to our film’s release. In my opinion, I don’t think our title has any similarity or links with ‘Harry Potter."’
Accidental Blogger 
One response to “Hari Puttar – A Comedy of Terrors”
If anything, this might legitimately fall into the realm of parody or spoofing. Why should Harry Potter be sacrosanct, when anything and everything else can be ridiculed? He isn’t even a real person to be offended. But then, what else can we expect from the conglomerate that wants to sue for every apparently harmless mention of the name?
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