J.K. Rowling Announces Open Licence for 'Harry Potter' to Help Students Amid Coronavirus

In an attempt to help keep kids engaged, the 54-year-old popular author takes to her website to announce that for the first time ever she is lifting restrictions on her work.

AceShowbiz –
J.K. Rowling is lifting copyright restrictions on recordings of her “Harry Potter” books to help out teachers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Following the advice of World Health Organisation (WHO) officials, who are advising people to practice social distancing and stay home in a bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19, schools around the globe have shut down with students learning from home.

In a bid to help keep kids engaged, the 54-year-old author took to her website to announce that for the first time ever she is lifting restrictions on her work with a new open licence.

“Teachers anywhere in the world are permitted to post videos of themselves reading from Harry Potter books 1-7 onto schools’ secure networks or closed educational platforms from today until the end of the school year (or the end of July in southern hemisphere),” J.K. wrote.

The star also teased that this special concession is just the “first of several initiatives being planned to help bring “Harry Potter” to children at home.”

The outbreak of COVID-19 has seen more than 328,000 cases of the virus registered worldwide, resulting in a death toll of over 14,300, since it began in December (19).