Warner Bros. and Tolkien Estate Reach Agreement After Five-Year Court Battle Over 'Lord of the Rings,' 'The Hobbit'
Warner Bros. and Tolkien Estate have finally patched things up with each other after a five-year litigation.
Five years ago, the two groups started their court battle over Warner Bros.' alleged digital misuse of "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit."
The Tolkien Estate had filed an $80-million lawsuit against Warner Bros. after the studio - through its New Line subsidiary and Saul Zaentz Co. - allegedly breached its contract with the estate. Saul Zaentz Co. holds Warner Bros.' rights for both films.
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According to the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien and book publisher HarperCollins, Warner Bros. illegally used both properties in digital media when it was only authorized by the contract to come up with "tangible" merchandise from the book series. It was not to exploit the materials digitally.
However, the Tolkien Estate accused Warner Bros. of offending the legacy of the book series when the latter released the mobile game "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Online Slot Game."
To counter Tolkien's suit, Warner Bros. also sued the other party and stated that the estate had restricted them from properly marketing the films, which led to the loss of millions of dollars in potential revenue. That was when the battle between Warner Bros. and Tolkien Estate escalated.
After several years, however, both sides have finally put their issues to rest. Although details of how the dispute was settled remain unknown, recent reports claim that Warner Bros. and Tolkien Estate have reached a deal. The upcoming release of "Middle-earth: Shadow of War" also suggests that the two parties are now sharing a cordial relationship and have finally agreed on how both of them can continue creating digital content without breaching the contract.
After news about the settlement came out, Warner Bros. released a statement that said, "The parties are pleased that they have amicably resolved this matter and look forward to working together in the future."
