Harry Potter in online piracy row

Harry Potter author JK Rowling is fighting to have her wizard novels removed from a website after they were put online without her permission.

Rowling's legal team are battling to get the digital versions of her bestselling books taken down from California site Scribd.com, which claims to be the most popular literary site worldwide, reports contactmusic.com.

The author's lawyer, Neil Blair, said that the website did not have permission to publish the novels online which "are infringing listings which we were aware of and actioning."

Other works, including works by Nick Hornby and John Grisham, are also freely available on the site.

A spokesperson for the website says it operates a "notice and takedown system" where it will remove books if publishers demand the action.