Is this the work of Sauron?
J.R.R. Tolkien fans may be giddy about Peter Jackson's upcoming "Lord of the Rings" prequel, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," but not everyone is welcoming the news with open arms.
According to the BBC, a pub in Southampton called The Hobbit is being threatened with copyright infringement by lawyers of the Saul Zaentz Company, the group that owns the rights to Tolkien's "Rings" and "Hobbit."
In addition to its name, The Hobbit features such Middle Earth touches like character-inspired drinks (the Gandalf is made of VS Blue, vodka, peach schnapps and lemonade) and signs. The company has asked that all Tolkien references be removed from the pub.
"Are we doing any harm? I don't think so. We're bringing people to the books and the stories who haven't heard of J.R.R. Tolkien," said the pub's landlady, Stella Mary Roberts. "We don't have the financial resources to fight it -- I can't fight Hollywood." She added that making the necessary changes to the pub would cost thousands.
To find out more about the potential legal action, along with the Facebook campaign to help save the pub, head to the BBC.
[via BBC]
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.