'The Lord Of The Rings' Copyright: Who Owns What?
Image Source: JoBlo
In 1968 J.R.R Tolkien sold a large slice of the rights to his most famous work, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy to United Artists. A year later they sold it to Oscar-winning film producer Saul Zaentz. This started a chain of events that has led to a complicated network of copyrights spanning four companies.
Who actually owns the rights to The Lord of the Rings?
The Tolkien Estate (And Harper Collins)
Image Source: CultureSlate
The Tolkien Estate (the Tolkien family). They own all the publishing rights to all of Tolkien’s work. Anything in print including his unfinished drafts, letters, and anything published after his death. They’ve also kept all the movie and television rights for The Silmarillion and The Unfinished Tales, so no material from these works is allowed to appear on screen.
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Embracer Group
Embracer Group bought Middle-earth Enterprises, founded by Saul Zaentz who purchased the original package of rights that Tolkien sold back in 1968. This includes worldwide distribution of motion pictures (although Warner Bros disputes this), video games, board games, theme parks, and stage productions. They also have ‘matching rights’ on The Silmarillion and The Unfinished Tales. If they are ever released, they have first refusal.
Embracer Group provides the licence for:
- Warhammer Middle-earth Strategy Game
- Magic the Gathering, Tales of Middle-earth decks
- The Lord of The Rings Musical
Warner Bros Discovery
Image Source: FBC News
New Line Cinema is responsible for the Peter Jackson movies, and since 2008 it has been a part of Warner Bros Pictures, therefore they now own the rights to the 2000s Lord of the Rings movies. Any figures or merch made with the films as a reference, eg with a Cate Blanchett style Galadriel or Howard Shore’s score is owned by Warner. This includes the digital arts rights for any video games based on the films, such as The Lord of the Rings: War in the North and LEGO The Lord of the Rings
There has been some dispute with Embracer/Middle-earth Enterprises over whether Warner stuck to the original agreement, but it appears that has been put to bed with the signing of a new movie deal.
Amazon
Image Source: TRT
Amazon went directly to the Tolkien estate to make The Rings of Power. The family had retained several niche rights, which included television series of eight or more episodes, as well as the appendices at the end of Lord of the Rings: Return of The King. This is what Amazon bought to make their hit series. They are in a strange position of portraying events closely linked to The Silmarillion without being allowed to portray it on screen. Amazon also cannot make any films without the Embracer Group and Warner Bros say so.
What Is The Future Of The Lord Of The Rings Franchise?
To get anything made in Middle-earth requires a collaborative effort. The Rings of Power require Warner Bros because of the styling of the original Peter Jackson movies. Thankfully, at the moment all parties realise that it is lucrative for them to work together. With Marvel and Star Wars creating large universes, the potential for Lord of the Rings is huge. Tolkien wrote plenty of material for adaptation.
Currently, season 2 of The Rings of Power, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, and an as-yet-untitled movie are all in different stages of production. Amazon is also making an open-world adventure game in collaboration with Embracer that has massive potential. Let’s hope the four companies continue to cooperate and all this content can make it through development without any hitches.
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