WARNER’S CURBS HARRY POTTER READING CLASS

The long arm of the Warner Bros. legal department has reached out to the tiny town of Durham, New Hampshire (population 12,664) to force the University of New Hampshire, which is located there (enrollment 12,602), to make changes to a popular summer reading and English course for children in the fourth to eighth grades. The course uses the Harry Potter books as teaching materials, and the title of the course incorporates the Harry Potter name, as does the description of the course. However, in a letter to the university, Warner Bros. lawyers warned that such use makes it appear as if the studio were sponsoring the class and asked UNH administrators to cease and desist. In reply, the university said that while it does not admit to the allegations, the Harry Potter name will be removed from the title of the course as will other references and trademarks to the J.K. Rowlings books. English professor James Krasner told Manchester TV station WMUR, “I thought I was just putting on a nice program for kids and making it more fun by using Harry Potter.” And one UNH student asked, “How did they even find out about the University of New Hampshire Harry Potter course?”