A recent judicial memorandum filed Wednesday leaves the door open for Warner Brothers and the estate of legendary author J.R.R. Tolkien to continue a legal dispute over the marketing of products associated with ‘The Lord of The Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit.’ The Tolkien estate filed a lawsuit in 2012 against Warner Bros. claiming that the company exceeded the limits of the licensing agreement. When Warner Bros. counter sued the Tolkien estate tried to get the claim dismissed under California’s anti-SLAPP statute. In 2013, a U.S. District Court denied the Estate’s request for dismissal and the 9th Circuit Court has recently upheld the district court decision.
See Mark Sommer, Appeals court decision reopens Warner Bros. and Tolkien Estate battle, Examiner, October 29, 2015.
Special thanks to Brian Cohan (Attorney at Law, Law Offices of Brian J. Cohan, P.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.
