Warner Bros. Receives Hundreds of Letters Illustrating the More than 16,000 signatures of HP Fans

Boston, MA – Over the past several days Warner Bros.’  (WB) California headquarters has received nearly 400 individual sheets of paper adding up to the more than 16,000 signatures the Harry Potter Alliance (HPA) collected in 2010 and 2011 to make all Harry Potter chocolate Fair Trade. The pages were sent by more than 200 members of the HPA from across the country, as a part of the “Not in Harry’s Name Campaign,” to show WB how important Fair Trade chocolate is to fans of the Harry Potter series. The HPA has been campaigning for WB to show proof that the chocolate they use for their Harry Potter products is produced under Fair Trade standards. WB informed the HPA of their own research that contradicts the “F” rating for their practices by the reputable group, Free2Work. The HPA asked WB to share this research. However, WB has not responded and has therefore made it clear that they have no intention to share this research. “The HPA has worked tirelessly for more than a year to ensure that no child is enslaved while making chocolate in Harry Potter’s name,” HPA Executive Director Andrew Slack said. “For fifteen months, we have given WB every possible opportunity to partner with us by making all Harry Potter chocolate Fair Trade. They have turned down each of those opportunities because they underestimate us. It’s now a matter of time before the entire world sees that fans of the Harry Potter series are responsibly advocating for children while the leaders of WB are acting irresponsibly. If the research they cite exists then they be able to produce it. They should have nothing to hide.” Among the thousands of fans from across the globe that have signed on to support this campaign are four of the actors of the Harry Potter movies, including Evanna Lynch, Natalia Tena, Mark Williams, and Jason Issacs. The support of actors in the series illustrates the importance of the campaign to all of those involved in the beloved series. For the past several months fans of the series have also been expressing their concern over the status of Harry Potter chocolate through Howler videos, where fans are able to put their feelings on their topic in a video directly to WB and cease and desist letters, expressing that while WB owns the intellectual property rights they don’t own the spirit of the series. An overview video of the Not in Harry’s Name campaign can be viewed on our YouTube channel and many frequently asked questions are addressed in the attached Questions and Answers document.

The HP Alliance (www.thehpalliance.org) is a 501c3 nonprofit that engages Harry Potter fans in social activism. With over 70 active chapters and 40 volunteer staff, the HPA has donated five cargo planes to Haiti, 55,000 books, protection for thousands in Darfur, and made huge strides in anti-genocide, LGBT, and media reform advocacy, and more. Covered in hundred of major publications and praised by JK Rowling, Harry Potter celebrities, Paul Farmer, and a slew of NGO’s the HPA recently came in first place in the Chase Bank Community Giving Contest on Facebook winning $250,000.