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 ...

Is the name Hobbit copyrighted?

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.

Can I use the term Hobbit?

"Hobbit" is a trademarked term by the Tolkien Estate. There is "prior art" in that the word didn't come out of nowhere, but Tolkien created a distinct identity for them.

Who has the rights to Hobbits?

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. These rights, which JRR Tolkien later regretted selling off, are perpetual rights to do anything with everything in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings books.

Does Amazon have the rights to the word hobbit?

“We have the rights solely to The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King, the appendices, and The Hobbit. And that is it. We do not have the rights to The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, The History of Middle-Earth, or any of those other books…

Thorin's Company of Dwarves AFTER The Hobbit | Tolkien Explained

Why was The Hobbit banned?

The book was banned several times over the years, most notably in 2001 in Alamagordo, New Mexico where a Christian rights group held a book burning. The themes of friendship and striving against adversity were lost among those looking for witchcraft and "satanic themes," so the book has suffered.

Does Amazon have the full rights to LOTR?

As we understand it so far, Amazon's rights to Tolkien's work are the same rights that producer Saul Zaentz bought in the 1970s, leading both to Ralph Bakshi's animated Lord Of the Rings and eventually to Peter Jackson's films. These rights only include material from The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit.

Does the Tolkien family still own the rights to Lord of the Rings?

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.

Is lotr in the public domain?

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.

Does Warner Bros still own 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.

Did JRR Tolkien make up the word hobbit?

Notes that although Tolkien believed at first that he had invented the word “hobbit,” he became concerned that he might have encountered it and subconsciously reproduced it. Reviews a number of possible sources of the word suggested by scholars.

Why can t Rings of Power use the word hobbit?

However, despite their hairy feet and short stature, the show does not call them Hobbits, which is likely a deliberate decision to differentiate them from those creatures in The Lord of the Rings. (It's either that or Amazon weren't permitted the rights to use the word “hobbit”.)

Who first used the word hobbit?

The word hobbit was used by J. R. R. Tolkien as the name of a race of small humanoids in his fantasy fiction, the first published being The Hobbit in 1937. The Oxford English Dictionary, which added an entry for the word in the 1970s, credits Tolkien with coining it.

Is the name Smaug copyrighted?

Smaug is a trademark, and neither Huawei nor the OpenStack Foundation licensed it from the trademark owner, Middle-earth Enterprises, also known as The Saul Zaentz Company.

Is The Hobbit open domain?

No, JRR Tolkien's works are not in the public domain. The term Hobbit was coined by him.

Why are hobbits copyrighted but not orcs?

As people have said, orc is an old word that became obsolete and fell out of use but was revived by Tolkien and is now common again. You can't copyright preexisting words, though you can copyright the actual text containing them. Hobbit, on the other hand, is an invented word.

Is the name Tolkien copyrighted?

The names TOLKIEN and JRR TOLKIEN, the JRRT Monogram and JRR Tolkien Signature and the titles of many Tolkien works are registered trademarks belonging to the Tolkien Estate.

What enters the public domain in 2023?

Will Harry Potter ever be public domain?

As Copyright.gov notes, “a general rule, for works created after January 1, 1978, copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years.” This is why no one can predict when the Harry Potter character will enter the public domain.

Why was The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien banned?

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien was originally banned in various US states because it was considered Satanic, but now that reaction would be rare. However, even today, books continue to be banned or challenged.

How rich is the Tolkien family?

Answer and Explanation: According to recent articles written on the subject, the entire Tolkien estate is worth close to $500 million dollars. This figure includes amount from book sales, merchandise, films, video games, and all other marketable items.

Does Jeff Bezos own LOTR?

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.

Who owns the rights to Gandalf?

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.

How much did Jeff Bezos pay for Lord of the Rings?

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.

Why did Amazon cancel LOTR?

It seems that Tencent's purchasing of Leyou was the primary reason why the Lord of the Rings MMO faced cancellation. Speaking with Gamespot, Amazon Games President Christoph Hartmann discussed the difficulties of working with Tencent, which were amplified when Leyou was acquired by the conglomerate.