JK Rowling has suspended some of the copyright policies for her Harry Potter novels to give teachers the opportunity to read the books on livestreams for their students as schools shut down due to COVID-19. In a statement on her website, representatives for Rowling said the author and her agents came to terms on a deal that would “relax” the copyright permissions that are normally required.
Globally, teachers can now post videos of themselves reading any of the seven Harry Potter novels, so long as these videos are released on a school’s secure network. The copyright amendment is good through the end of existing school years. Full terms of the “open license” program can be found here.
The statement goes on to say that relaxing the copyright for Harry Potter books is just the first of “several initiatives” that are in the works to help children read Harry Potter at home. More details are due to be announced “shortly.”
In other Harry Potter news, the next Fantastic Beasts movie will not start production on schedule due to COVID-19. The movie is scheduled to hit theatres on November 12, 2021, but whether or not it will be delayed due to the production delay is unknown at this point.
