Harry Potter wand battle as British start-up takes on Warner Bros

Wizards duelling with wands are a familiar sight in the Harry Potter franchise - but now companies are duelling over the wands themselves. A British computing company that develops gadgets to help children learn to code is in a row with Warner Bros over the launch of a Harry Potter-branded magic wand toy. Kano Computing, which is backed by Microsoft, has demanded Warner Bros stop marketing its “Magic Caster Wand”, which costs £150. The London-based start-up has claimed Warner Bros Discovery, the $36bn media giant that owns the film rights to the Harry Potter franchise, is using its ideas and intellectual property without consent. However, in an email seen by The Telegraph, the start-up’s chief executive, Alex Klein, alleged Warner Bros had used intellectual property “shared in strict confidence” that had been developed by Kano.