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Harry Potter's 'Half Blood Prince' Leaked

Posted by timothy on from the so-hard-to-get-worked-up-about dept.

darkonc writes "The CBC is reporting that about 15 copies of "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" were accidently sold at a 'Great Canadien Superstore' in a suburb of Vancouver BC. The Canadian Distributor, Raincoast Books managed to get an injunction prohibiting the people who recieved the books from talking about them and demanding that they return the books to Raincoast until Friday. To add a carrot to the stick, raincoast is offering various goodies including a signed bookplate."

22 of 784 comments (clear)

  1. More Questions then Answers by Shakrai · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Raincoast Books managed to get an injunction prohibiting the people who recieved the books from talking about them and demanding that they return the books to Raincoast until Friday. To add a carrot to the stick, raincoast is offering various goodies including a signed bookplate.

    Are they actually tracking people down or is this just a protective injection? TFI says "The Court Order also requires anyone who has a copy or copies of the book to return them to Raincoast immediately." That doesn't seem very enforceable.

    Of course I'd return my copy for a signed bookplate in a heartbeat. Still the paranoid part of me thinks this is yet another reason to pay for everything with cash and ditch the debit card. I wonder what the legal/financial repercussions for the store will be? TFI/TFA didn't dwell on that. Will the store be sued for breach of contract or will Raincoast consider it an honest mistake? How many poor bastards will be fired by the store in an attempt to cover managements ass?

    --
    I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
    We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
    1. Re:More Questions then Answers by mobets · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Looks like a publisity stunt to me. They are making a show of protecting the reliece date, while at the same time demonstrating how genorous they are. They look nice and fair and get their names and the date plastered all over the media and web for little to no money.

      --

      It was me, I did it, I moved your cheese
    2. Re:More Questions then Answers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      ...reliece...

      WOW.

      That took my breath away.

    3. Re:More Questions then Answers by outsider007 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Of course I'd return my copy for a signed bookplate in a heartbeat.

      I'd try to trade mine for sex first, and if that didn't pan out, I'd take the bookplate.

      --
      If you mod me down the terrorists will have won
    4. Re:More Questions then Answers by Strokke · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Regardless of whether or not this was done on purpose, the publishers are going to milk this as long as they can. They are the publishers after all. That means that it is their profession to make as much money as they can on books. This book, although having amazing presale numbers, has had a lot of its marketing power stolen by the recent bombings in London. Such a tragic event has taken away any idle news coverage which would have instead been directed at Harry Potter. The people in charge of marketing are doing whatever they can do get the public's attention back on the books.
      Its pretty simple psychology they are using. Humans desire that which cannot be had, and if this book is being protected by the CIA, FBI, and Mafia, then it must be the greatest book ever.

      Oh and I'll be @ my local barnes and noble 10 pm friday night waiting in line, and then will have a contest with a few friends to see who can finish it first. No joke. People who make fun of the books as childish simply cannot appreciate a simple fun story

    5. Re:More Questions then Answers by godders · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It IS ALWAYS management's fault, that's what they're for, to be responsible for fuckups. That's why they get paid more and why they get to sit around on their fat lazy arse all day long..

      They get given some work to do, delegate the work to a lower level employee, supervise them as much as required. If they lower-level employee fucks it up then it's the managers fault for not supervising enough/giving it to the wrong person/not supplying training/employing an idiot/etc/etc/etc

      So shut up.

    6. Re:More Questions then Answers by Linker3000 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Ok, I'll stick my neck out:

      My review:

      Something evil threatens Harry. His friends tag along for the adventure. Malfoy is an asshat. Dumbledore says some words of wisdom. Hagrid gets into some form of trouble but comes good in the end. Ron just about cocks up every spell he trys. Hermione is a swat (but kinda cute). Someone tangles with a mythical beast. It's a fight to the death but Harry and his friends come good in the end - oh and someone is not who they seem to be ...hmmmmmm!

      Either that or they all go on a nice picnic and the lemonade is especially agreeable.

      --
      AT&ROFLMAO
    7. Re:More Questions then Answers by sgant · · Score: 5, Funny

      he was modded "Interesting" not for what he had to say, but for how he spelled what he had to say.

      --

      "Leo Fender was in a 'state of grace' when he designed the Stratocaster." -- Paul Reed Smith
  2. Stupidity by tymbow · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This stuff is starting to get ridiculous. It's a book FFS, not an issue of national security!

    1. Re:Stupidity by st0rmshad0w · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Uh, I don't follow. So a few copies were sold in advance, big woop. If the series has such a high sales growth trend do you really believe a few advance copies would destroy that? And so what if it did? The most logical reason for that outcome would be that the product sucks and perhaps the creater doesn't deserve the expected returns.

      But please don't let me get in the way of any cultist fanatics or anything.

      Follow much? Thin the herd!

  3. Frostbitten laws by waynelorentz · · Score: 5, Funny

    Raincoast Books managed to get an injunction prohibiting the people who recieved the books from talking about them

    O.K., so from now on I'm no longer going to listen to any more crap from any of you Canadian Slashdotters criticizing free speech in America.

    (Now watch the Kanucks and Newfies mod me into oblivion!)

    --
    World's tallest building rises in the desert
  4. Whatever will we do? by nate+nice · · Score: 5, Funny

    Literature for 10 year olds is "leaked"! Now the kids will have no interest in reading! When I was 10, I never read a book that was older than 3 days. Someone has to pay for this.

    --
    "If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer ..."
  5. how did this happen? by colton+cummings · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How do you think a book store "accidentally" sold 15 copies of a book that was widely publicized to be released at a later date? And if they accidentally released it early, why did only 15 copies sell?

    --
    XaNk: now I remember why I hated the girls in high school
    XaNk: because none of them would talk to me
  6. Good Lord, Have Mercy... by dominion · · Score: 5, Insightful


    Seriously, if I were the employee who screwed this up, I'd sleep with a pistol underneath my pillow. Everybody knows the big boss man isn't too forgiving of fuck ups like this.

    Oh, wait... Harry Potter books? I thought we were talking about an international shipment of premium grade heroin.

    Who the fuck cares about some Harry Potter books coming out a little early?

    1. Re:Good Lord, Have Mercy... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Harry Potter's coming out? About freakin' time! I mean, it's been pretty obvious since day one that he's got a thing for Ron, so it's now a big deal anyways... Oh wait, "Harry Potter books"!

  7. Re:Somebody at GameFAQs claims to have it. by HyperChicken · · Score: 5, Informative

    Page 31 of that thread: "he admitted to lying."

    I'll take the word of someone who is saying someone is a liar over the word of someone who is saying they are telling the truth.

    For the record, you're all liars.

    --
    Free of Flash! Free of Flash!
  8. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  9. Can't ... help myself... must make obvious joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    "Harry Potter's 'Half Blood Prince' Leaked"

    Which explains why he had only half his blood....

    Yes, yes I'll be here all week...

  10. I have the book in possesion by gulfan · · Score: 5, Informative

    This comment contained copyrighted text and was removed at the request of the copyright owner under the terms of the DMCA.

  11. To bad.. by alfrin · · Score: 5, Funny

    Its a real shame, there doesn't seem to be a bittorrent for physical objects...

  12. Re:It's actually more stupid than that... by Kjella · · Score: 5, Informative

    You may want to check your own law. A work is not considered published until it has been published in some form. That it has been printed with the intent to publish is not sufficient. You may also want to read Harper & Row Publishers, Inc. v. The Nation Enters for a ruling by the Supreme court where the Nation obtained a printed copy of Ford's memoairs before release, much like this case.

    You may note that a) it is considered unpublished, despite having changed hands because it was not officially published and b) the Supreme courts holds that the "right of first publication" counts extremely strongly against fair use. That means that the people who have recieved the book have no right to quote even small bits. The Nation used 300 to 400 words. So I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you.

    Kjella

    --
    Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
  13. Re:So much for the DRM by DrXym · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Harry Potter isn't going to be released as an ebook.


    Oh yes it is. My guess is within 24 hours of the official release.


    One wonders why these publishing houses don't sell their own e-book at a reasonable price and soak up most of the demand for the 'unofficial' copy.