Tolkiens Files $80M Suit Over LOTR Games

Gambling games, slots spark $80 million lawsuit against Warners, New Line and Zaentz.

Just weeks before the Dec. 14 release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the estate of Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien has filed an $80 million lawsuit against Warner Bros. claiming the studio is "usurping rights to which they are not entitled" in merchandising Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, specifically online games and gambling slots.

The Tolkiens and publisher Harper Collins sued Warners, its New Line subsidiary, and LOTR/Hobbit screen rights holder Saul Zaentz Co. on Monday claiming they've violated a decades-old agreement to make only "tangible" merchandise and consumer products based on the books.

The plaintiffs are particularly offended by recent digital exploitations, specifically the Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring: Online Slot Game. They're also angered by planned traditional slot machines set to feature LOTR characters.

The Hollywood Reporter says the "tangible" merchandising rights agreement does not extend to "downloadable video games available only on mobile devices or tablets or Facebook" because the contract, signed in 1969, reserved rights for the Tolkiens "not herein specifically granted."

"Not only does the production of gambling games patently exceed the scope of defendants' rights, but this infringing conduct has outraged Tolkien's devoted fan base, causing irreparable harm to Tolkien's legacy and reputation and the valuable goodwill generated by his works," according to the complaint. The suit alleges that settlement talks have gone on for some time, but to no avail.