Those on both sides of the debate insist it's not about money. Perhaps, but everyone involved in the ethical issues still stands to make a mint. James Hickey, a Dublin solicitor who specialises in the area, says he is keen to look into the development of US copyright law with regard to the case. It was only intended to protect people from others reproducing copies of their work. Obviously, a parody has to be allowed.
Every case is different - a judge has to decide if a new work is original, if a parody is a copy.
We need to identify what copyright is, and what should be protected. The Mitchell estate is appealing the appeal. There is a high possibility that this case may wind up in the supreme court. In the meantime, Houghton Mifflin intends to have copies of The Wind Done Gone in US book stores by the end of the month.