The American author and fan of “The Lord of the Rings” published a continuation of the saga in 2022 titled “The Fellowship of the King”, which was supposed to be the first in a seven-part series inspired by the best-selling franchise. Less than a year later, in April, he decided to sue Amazon and the heirs of Tolkien’s estate for copyright infringement in connection with the spin-off series “The Rings of Power”. The case went to court. You will find more interesting texts on the home page.
A little rain from a big cloud. But the writer will pay anyway
Demetrious Polychron swore that he had the idea to develop the series back in 2017 and demanded $250 million in compensation from the Tolkien Estate. However, there was a counter-suit, because the heirs of the British writer also claimed copyright infringement, but to their detriment, as well as to Amazon. As reported by the Guardian, we have just learned the verdict in this case, and its consequences are truly significant.
Polychron was banned from further publication of subsequent parts of his novel, and all copies (physical and digital) of the first work are to be destroyed under pain of criminal liability. This also applies to further distribution of materials already made available. Moreover, the American court demanded the reimbursement of legal costs to Tolkien’s estate and Amazon in the amount of PLN 134,000. dollars. The writer has to pay them out of his own pocket.
“Unjustified and frivolous” claims. Inspired by Tolkien’s world
In issuing the order, Judge Wilson described Polychron’s original claim for copyright protection as “unreasonable” and “frivolous” given that his work is based entirely on characters from The Lord of the Rings. In turn, the lawyer for the heirs of JRR Tolkien’s estate and copyright noted that “This is an important success of the Tolkien estate, which will not allow unauthorized authors and publishers to make money on their beloved works in this way.”
Big money around novels. The most expensive series in history
The world of “The Lord of the Rings” is extremely profitable, as evidenced by the income of two trilogies filmed by Peter Jackson. It reached almost $6 billion, so it’s no wonder that the news about the TV series adaptation of the author of the book series aroused great interest. The cost of producing the first season of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is also impressive. It amounted to $715 million, making it the most expensive series of all time.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
