Tolkien estate declines to sell to UNI

Cosmic Commando

Cosmic Commando

Well-Known Member
I was really surprised when it seemed like they were selling; the family really hates Peter Jackson's movies, which is obviously what any theme park land would be based on right now.
 
SirLink

SirLink

Well-Known Member
Jane Doe said:
Why, because someone comes waving a cheque book and they don't throw their principles out of the window?
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Case in point after LOTR movies they started selling more books - and first thing they do is complain about the films. There is a reason why Old man Tolkien sold the rights to merchandise, films and stage versions of his works ... the owners of these said rights to these properties have been getting mighty annoyed by those bratty kids...
 
216bruce

216bruce

Well-Known Member
SirLink said:
Case in point after LOTR movies they started selling more books - and first thing they do is complain about the films. There is a reason why Old man Tolkien sold the rights to merchandise, films and stage versions of his works ... the owners of these said rights to these properties have been getting mighty annoyed by those bratty kids...
Click to expand...

He sold the rights because he really needed the money. He was a retired Oxford professor of Old/Middle English. He abhorred Disney, would have most likely hated the Peter Jackson movies and wrote great books in "The Hobbit" and LOTR. His son, Christopher, is his literary executor and is doing pretty well financially. He's just doing what his father would have wanted had he had the same amount of $ that his son has. Money isn't an issue for his estate. If the rights to anything LOTR are held by Saul Zaentz they get really exploited often in a cheap and tawdry way. I don't blame Christopher Tolkien or others in the family for being gun-shy on this. It's what a classy conservative family of an Oxford don should do.
 
SirLink

SirLink

Well-Known Member
216bruce said:
He sold the rights because he really needed the money. He was a retired Oxford professor of Old/Middle English. He abhorred Disney, would have most likely hated the Peter Jackson movies and wrote great books in "The Hobbit" and LOTR. His son, Christopher, is his literary executor and is doing pretty well financially. He's just doing what his father would have wanted had he had the same amount of $ that his son has. Money isn't an issue for his estate. If the rights to anything LOTR are held by Saul Zaentz they get really exploited often in a cheap and tawdry way. I don't blame Christopher Tolkien or others in the family for being gun-shy on this. It's what a classy conservative family of an Oxford don should do.
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Vehemently disagree ... money is always the issue ... without the the films the books wouldn't of got nearly as much attention in the last decade. I do if it was up to the Tolkien estate all there would be books, nothing else ... anyway again thank God that Old Man Tolkien sold the rights to UA and then sold to Saul Zaentz ... it depends on how a new judge classes a theme park if they class it as merchandise ... Tolkien estate can do something innovative ... stop relying on their father's legacy and create a new work of fiction...
 
Prototype82

Prototype82

Well-Known Member
If Tolkien was alive today, I guarantee you that he would have been a fan of Rowling's books. And upon seeing the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, he would have seen the competency of theme park story-telling to be a true art form and extension of a story. But then again, he never wanted his books to be films to begin with.
 
OFTeric

OFTeric

Well-Known Member
So interesting thing I discovered after reading the current lawsuit between WB and the Tolkien Estate.

"...For example, defendants [Warner Brothers] have taken the position that their merchandising and trademark rights extend to intangible items such as downloadable games and to services licensing such as travel agencies, hotels, restaurants, theme parks, housing
developments and casino gambling...."

"By reason of the foregoing facts, an actual controversy has arisen
between the parties as to:
a. whether the right to license or exploit services in any categories, or the
ability to register, use or exploit service marks in any categories
(including without limitation hotels, restaurants, travel agencies,
ringtones, online/downloadable games, housing developments,
educational services, parties, festivals and cultural activities and/or
amusement, theme parks and/or casino gambling) in connection with
The Lord of the Rings and/or The Hobbit, is beyond the scope of the
merchandising rights granted to Warner Bros. and/or Zaentz pursuant
to the terms of the Merchandising License; and
b. what is the scope and extent of defendants’ rights to register and/or use
Lord of the Rings and/or Hobbit-related trademarks. "

page 16 and page 23

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/custom/Documents/ESQ/GGDOCS1-%231878321-v1-CONFORMED_Complaint.pdf

So what this means to me is 1) the Tolkien family thinks they have rights to the theme parks... WB thinks they do. 2) Whoever wins this case will have the theme park rights.
 

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