One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Warner Bros Settles Giant 'Lord Of The Rings' Lawsuit With J.R.R. Tolkien's Family
(Courtesy of Warner Bros.)
Warner Bros. and the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien have settled a $80 million lawsuit that was filed over the use of digital representations of The Hobbit and other properties, reports Variety.
The rights to Tolkien's library of works was originally sold to United Artist in 1969, and ultimately ended up with New Line Cinema (whose parent company is Warner Bros.). In 2012, the Tolkien estate, along with publisher HarperCollins, filed a lawsuit claiming that the old agreement (which was regranted in 2010) only pertained to "tangible" merchandise (teeshirts, novelty cups, and the like, but nothing digital). According to The Hollywood Reporter, what sparked the estate's interest in this was a spam email that referred to the "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Online Slot Game." The game in question might be this doozy:
The estate then looked into what THR refers to as the "digital exploitations" of The Hobbit and The Lord Of the Rings, and found other items such as an online role-playing game.
Warner Bros. would counter-sue, saying that the legal challenge had cost the studio “millions of dollars in license fees,” and had hampered marketing for the Peter Jackson-directed movies. The barrage of lawsuits dove deep, with Warner Bros. asking a judge to disqualify the law firm representing the Tolkiens; the studio alleged that the firm had obtained privileged information through two lawyers who were associated with the 1969 agreement.
The terms to the agreement have not been divulged. A spokesperson for Warner Bros. said in a message to Variety that, “The parties are pleased that they have amicably resolved this matter and look forward to working together in the future.”
And, speaking of online slot machines, the slew of LOTR-related goodies includes this set of tea leaves, student housing at UC Irvine, and even orange soda.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
