Major League Quidditch will seek a name change to avoid copyright infringement in light of continued growth and to distance itself from “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling, MLQ and US Quidditch said in a joint statement.
In a statement released earlier this week, the groups said the league was unable to grow because the name “Quidditch” was trademarked by Warner Bros., owners of the “Potter” franchise. Because of this, the league was unable to attract sponsors and broadcast deals and now hopes the name change will allow the sport to grow without “Potter” references that could lead to a cease and desist order from the studio.
“I believe Quidditch is at a tipping point. We can maintain the status quo and remain relatively small, or we can take big steps and really take this sport to the next stage. Rebranding the sport opens up many more revenue opportunities for both organizations, which is critical for expansion,” said Mary Kimball, executive director of the USQ.
The name change is supported by Alex Benepe, who invented real Quidditch – or Muggle Quidditch, as “Potter” fans call it – while studying at Middlebury College in 2005, along with classmate Xander Manshel. Major League Quidditch was born out of a desire to bring Hogwarts’ favorite sport to the university campus.
“I am excited to see USQ and MLQ moving in this direction. Big changes like this are not without risk, but I have long been a strong advocate of this move. The sport needs its own space with no limits for its growth potential and the name change is critical to achieving this,” said Benepe.
USQ and MLQ also cited Rowling’s transphobic comments as a reason for the move, and pointed to their goal of promoting progressive values in their sport. MLQ cites as an example their equality rule, which stipulates that no more than four players of one gender can be on the field at any time.
“Both organizations believe it is essential to live up to that reputation in all aspects of their business and believe this move is a step in that direction,” the statement said.
Rowling has come under fire from trans activists since 2019, when she supported tax specialist Maya Forstater after she was fired for comments deemed transphobic. In 2020, Rowling followed up with a blog post claiming that cis women were at risk of sexual abuse in public restrooms if trans women who have not yet started hormone therapy are allowed in.
“If you open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or identifies as a woman – and as I said, gender affirmation certificates can potentially be issued today without the need for surgery or hormones – then you are opening the door to any man who wants to come in,” she wrote.
Several actors from the “Harry Potter” film series, including Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, have condemned Rowling’s comments. Last week, Warner Bros. released the first trailer for “Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secrets,” the third part of a “Potter” prequel series starring Eddie Redmayne. Unlike the trailers for the previous two “Fantastic Beasts” films, Rowling’s name did not appear prominently in it.
