Running a Harry Potter fan event? Watch out for Warner Bros.
By Callum Gunn
If you run a Harry Potter fan event or unlicensed store, you’ll need to watch out. Warner Bros. is cracking down on everything.
There aren’t many officially licensed Harry Potter events. And it’s a shame when there are so many Potterheads in the world wanting to recreate the magical world and meet like-minded individuals. Fan events have been extremely popular, but now Warner Bros. is cracking down considerably hard.
Just recently, a Harry Potter Quidditch-theme event has been told to get rid of everything Potter related. Restaurants and stores have been told to get rid of all things that mention the Boy Who Lived and other elements from J.K. Rowling’s world—or pay a fortune for the licensing fees.
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Harry has literally become an ironic world, as the boy himself becomes He Who Must Not Be Named.
Warner Bros. says that the fan events may be fun, but there’s a chance that they can become a place for unauthorized commercial activity. The best thing to do is to clamp down on it all and stop all Harry Potter fan events that haven’t been licensed. Those who want an event themed as the Boy Who Lived can always pay for the licensing fee and get Warner Bros. permission, but that’s not easily affordable for all.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc
It’s not just Harry Potter themed events. The Boy Who Lived has literally become He Who Must Not Be Named. All characters have been banned. Think you’ve got away with using names of the chocolates or the spells? Think again! Warner Bros. is cracking down on them too. Absolutely everything to do with Harry Potter has to change.
Cosplay at events will still be allowed. However, anything on the schedule or in the merchandising that has the name of anything Harry Potter related has to go.
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It’s a shame that these Harry Potter fan events are being told to shut down and change. The whole reason there are so many is because Warner Bros. isn’t putting on enough official ones. When there are events, they’re not the type that the Potterheads want. If the company is going to shut down so many, can’t they replace them with something official for the fans to enjoy? Or make the licensing fees cheaper to allow fans to get together and relive the magical world?
This isn’t the first time Warner Bros. has done this. Back in 2003, there were plenty of letters sent out to stop the use of the names. However, the number of people told to stop using the names dropped. Now there’s a boom, especially with the 20th anniversary, and it’s led to Warner Bros. cracking down again.
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What do you think about Warner Bros. cracking down on the use of Harry Potter in fan events? Have you been affected in any way? Share your thoughts in the comments below.