So the copyright on the works of fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien, who died in 1973, will now expire in 2043, meaning the Lord of the Rings trilogy and many of his other works will become public domain on Jan.1, 2044.
Now, as for the public domain: Actually, Lord of the Rings was technically in the public domain in the US from 1965-1996, due to a failure to comply with manufacturing restrictions (more details in this article, if interested). But as for entering the public domain for good, that depends largely on the country.
Embracer Group is the new owner of rights that JRR Tolkien himself sold off in 1968. The Swedish gaming and rights holding company purchased these rights in 2022 from Saul Zaentz Company, which was used to create the Oscar-winning LOTR films.
Background and history. J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sold the film, stage and merchandising rights of those works to United Artists in 1968.
The Hobbit was published in 1937, but the last year of public domain in the US is 1922. You can't use the word "hobbit" in a commercial work; that's why a lot of games use "halfling." He died in 1973, so in most places where copyright extends X decades after the author's death, there's still a while to go.
The beloved mouse that is nearly a century old will soon enter public domain — the original Mickey Mouse's copyright expires in 2024. This anthropomorphic mouse is recognizable even by the silhouette of his ears and, in some ways, has been the face of The Walt Disney Co. since his 1928 creation.
So the copyright on the works of fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien, who died in 1973, will now expire in 2043, meaning the Lord of the Rings trilogy and many of his other works will become public domain on Jan. 1, 2044.
The company that owns the rights to JRR Tolkien's works, including The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, has been bought by the Swedish gaming firm Embracer Group, which has hinted it could make spin-off films based on popular characters such as Gandalf, Aragorn and Gollum.
The film and merchandise rights for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were sold by J.R.R. Tolkien, and are currently owned by Middle-earth Enterprises, formerly known as Tolkien Enterprises, a company currently controlled by Embracer Group, while the television rights of these two books remained with Tolkien Estate.
Exclusive worldwide rights to motion picture, merchandising, stage and other rights in certain literary works of J. R. R. Tolkien including The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were sold by Tolkien himself to United Artists in 1969, reportedly for a very small amount, and are currently owned by Middle-earth Enterprises ...
Did Warner Brothers lose the rights to Lord of the Rings?
Embracer Group and Warner Bros. Discovery have reached an agreement to renew the film rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The Swedish video game giant, which acquired Middle-earth Enterprises in 2022, has given the green light to the deal, which was announced during a Warner Bros. Warner Bros.
In 2017, Amazon negotiated directly with the Tolkien Estate for the rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit adaptations for series that run longer than that, securing them for $250 million.
Spider-Man was created as work-made-for-hire in 1962, which means the U.S. copyright on the first Spider-Man story runs out in 2057. Every Spider-Man story since will also be protected for 95 years from first publication, so this week's latest issue won't fall into the public domain until 2114.
U.S. copyright laws grant the creator of content ownership for 95 years, which means famous works eventually enter the public domain. Legally, that means anyone could now copy and reproduce the 1928 version of Mickey Mouse without permission.
As a direct result of Disney lobbying, in 1998 Congress overhauled the copyright system to retroactively extend everything created between 1923 and 1977 to a 95-year term. That meant Mickey Mouse is safe at Disney until 2023, while Spider-Man won't become public domain until 2057.
Do I need permission? Yes. The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, and the places, items, characters and events depicted in those books and films represent our intellectual property. To use any of those names (trademarks) as a business name without permission is unlawful.
Tolkien's invented languages and scripts are protected by copyright. You may use them for your own private interest and amusement, but you may not reproduce them in any form of publication or in connection with any group activity, commercial or otherwise.
In 2017, the estate of author J.R.R. Tolkien, along with executives from Warner Bros., was shopping the television rights to “The Lord of the Rings.” While both Netflix and HBO were interested, Amazon won out with the backing of Jeff Bezos, paying nearly $250 million. For Tolkien fans—like Mr.
And the answer surprised many fans who thought the show would be focused on the events in The Silmarillion. Amazon doesn't actually have the rights to The Silmarillion. This means the series will be based on The Appendices at the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
The Tolkien Estate also owns TV rights to series longer than eight episodes, which is precisely why Amazon dealt with the Tolkien Estate, and not Middle-earth Enterprises, to make its upcoming prequel series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.”
Over the next several years, several prominent DC characters are going to become public domain. Superman becomes public domain in 2034 followed by Batman in 2035 and then Wonder Womanin 2036. Many JSA and other golden age characters will become PD over the next few years as well, some earlier than Superman.
