J.K. Rowling has given fans permission to write sequels to the Harry Potter books.


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The author – whose seven-book series about the young wizard has sold almost 400 million copies – will not take legal action against George Lippert, who wrote a follow-up to Harry’s adventures on his website.

Under copyright laws Lippert could have been prosecuted for his actions. Rowling’s lawyers confirmed she is happy for spin-offs to be published online as long as the publications are not sold and it is made clear she was not involved in the stories.

She also requested the follow-ups do not contain pornography or racism.

Meanwhile, Rowling – who has seen the Harry Potter books turned into blockbuster movies – has been voted entertainer of the year by Entertainment Weekly magazine.

The publication insisted she deserved the title for getting ‘people to tote around her big, old-fashioned printed-on-paper books as if they were the hottest new entertainment devices on the planet’.

The magazine also named George Clooney a ‘valedictorian’ because he has ‘deftly balanced box-office viability with personal responsibility’.