KOLKATA, India (AFP) - Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is suing organisers of a religious event for constructing a replica of her imaginary Hogwarts Castle in an eastern India city, officials said Thursday.

Rowling and her publishers Bloomsbury are seeking two million rupees (50,000 dollars) from the organisers constructing an elaborate castle from canvas and papier mache in Kolkata for the upcoming Durga Puja festival, court officials said.

The Delhi High Court has summoned the builders on Friday to present their case, they said.

The suit, which runs into 394 pages, argues the organisers of the Hindu festival can stage the upcoming event in the gigantic marquee only after paying two million rupees to the British author.

Rowling's fictitious world depicts the castle as an ancient school of witchcraft where her eponymous hero Harry Potter learns wizardry.

The marquee in Kolkata's Salt Lake district replicates the imaginary castle's outer contours and includes an imitation marble staircase and flagged stone floor in the entrance hall, lit with flaming torches, witnesses said.

The festival organising secretary, Santunu Biswas, said his team would go ahead with the preparations for the four-day festivities, eastern India's most celebrated annual religious carnival.

"What we are building is not a violation of copyright act anywhere in the world because it's a religious festival and has nothing to do with money-making," Biswas told AFP.

Another organiser, Robin Mukherjee, said he was stunned.

"The summons came at a time when the marquee is almost ready and we don't know what to do now as we cannot afford to pay the fine," the visibly angry official added.

"It's just a theme ...We have also modelled the Titanic and no-one sued us," he said.

Found on Yahoo.ie

Picture of it

Hey, it's just for a festival, like they said they're not profiting from it. I think Rowling should lighten up a tad. if i were her, I'd be flatterd someone was constructing that for a highly honored festival. but, hey, I'm not JKR, so, I guess she's gonna do whatever it is she's gonna do in the end.

But maybe it's not JK...its says rowling and her bloomsbury publishers...maybe its bloomsbury thats fronting the case and they're just using her as a back up

but i kind of agree with where they're coming from...things are copyrighted for a reason...and im sure they would have been given permission if thye had just asked, but the fact that they didn't ask is insulting.

That's lame.
There's no way they have a case.

This is SO lame. I thought Rowling was better than that.

But they should've asked. They wouldn't be sued if they'd just -asked-.

Still... they gonna start sueing people who write fan-fiction and draw fan-art next? Looks like I need to leave the country and fast, in that case.

well u put a disclaimer on ur fanfiction...which is pretty much asking.

THough that is a bit drastic, JK did the right thing. If the people in India were replicating Hogwarts, then it violates copyright laws. Since they didn't tell her, it's illegal. (Right?)

FanFics aren't the same, Courtenay. Our fanfics are pubilically viewed. (well they kinda are)

Joe would sue us if we plagarised her writing in our fanfics. Since we don't, it's legal to write HP fanfics.

That's really lame. I would be happy somebody is doing work for me, even without me asking...