Warner Bros cracking down on Harry Potter fan festivals
June 19, 2018
Warner Bros is cracking down on local Harry Potter fan festivals around the US, saying it's necessary to halt unauthorized commercial activity.
According to reports, the crackdown comes after the recent de-Potterization of a Quidditch tournament/festival at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Organisers for one of the most popular event, popular attended by thousands of fans was one of several contacted by Warner Bros to be told that new guidelines for fan events meant that no names or terms from the Potter franchise could be used outside of an official capacity by Warner itself.
"Warner Bros is always pleased to learn of the enthusiasm of Harry Potter fans, but we are concerned, and do object, when fan gatherings become a vehicle for unauthorized commercial activity", the statement read.
The festival crackdown is not the first time Warner Bros has put a halt on Potter-themed festivals.
In 2003, a woman in the UK was sent a cease-and-desist letter over a Hogwarts-themed dinner party she planned, with a guest list around 30.
In another incident, a Los Angeles bookstore called Whimsic Alley was sued by the company over its overtly Hogwarts-ian wares, from chocolate frogs to Gryffindor scarves. Despite the suit being settled, the store ended up closing last year.
