Harry Potter and the Russian Chamber of Secrets

In 2003, it was reported that a Russian law firm had been instructed to commence proceedings against Warner Brothers for using President Vladimir Putin as the model for the character of Dobby the house-elf in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. This was difficult to confirm, as both parties declined to comment, but many Russians assumed the story to be true. Ever since, Harry Potter websites and chatrooms have been bombarded with angry messages.