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EAGER Harry Potter fans have translated the entire final book about the Boy Wizard and made it available online months before the legal translation will be available in bookstores.
The Chinese publisher of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" warned yesterday that posting translations online violates copyright law, but said it is powerless to take action against Websites posting the translated novel online.
"No one has the right to publish any translated version on the Internet, because the author J.K. Rowling hasn't issued the copyright for digital translated versions in any country," said Sun Shunlin of the Beijing-based People's Literature Publishing House.
Sun said the publishing house can't file a lawsuit against the Websites as it doesn't own the copyright to digital versions of the book. It has, however, notified the Shanghai Press and Publication Bureau about the copyright violations.
The bureau said it is investigating the situation, but has yet to take any action. It wouldn't say what, if any, steps it plans to take or when it would finally act.
An online search yesterday found four sites posting translated chapters from the best-seller.
One forum called "The Union of International Wizards" has posted all 36 chapters of the seventh installment of Harry Potter, which are available for free.
The site's manager, who goes by the online name Wizard Harry, said volunteers were able to complete the translation in just three days after the English version went on sale on July 21. He expected the work would take at least 10 days.
The Website, which doesn't accept advertising, has become extremely popular since the book was posted, according to Wizard Harry, who didn't provide data on visitor numbers.
Sun said he is worried the translation will be used to print counterfeit copies of the book.
Wizard Harry claimed on his blog that fans are just trying to share the book with others, and no one is making money from the venture. Legal experts disagree.
"The action of making and spreading a translated version of a novel needs approval from the author, otherwise it will violate the copyright," said Gu Changsheng, a lawyer at the Shanghai Tian Hong Law Firm.
The official translated copy of the book will arrive in stores on October 28.
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