J.D. Salinger, the author of The Catcher in the Rye and a notorious recluse, filed suit last week in a New York federal court against the anonymous author of 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye
, the supposed "sequel" to Salinger's classic novel. Salinger's suit also names UK-based Windupbird Publishing, Sweden-based Nicotext, and SCB Distributors (which sells Nicotext books in the U.S.).As reported in the Courthouse News, the complaint argues that "the sequel is not a parody and it does not comment upon or criticize the original. It is a rip-off pure and simple." Salinger is seeking an injunction against publication of 60 Years Later (currently scheduled for September) along with damages and costs. The cynic in me wonders if the whole affair is a new creative marketing campaign designed to increase sales for The Catcher in the Rye, 60 Years Later, or both.
1 comment:
I don't think that Salinger will win this suit. If memory serves, other cases in the past have ruled that one cannot copyright characters; therefore, a sequel written by someone else using the same characters would not be a violation of copyright. That is my understanding. It;ll be interesting to see how this turns out.
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