How utterly pathetic and how absolutely typical of corporate anti-social attitudes these days. A local cafe a stone's throw from Sarehole Mill near to where JRR Tolkien grew up, has been threatened with legal action by lawyers working for a US film company. Wouldn't they be better employed chasing ambulances?
The Hungry Hobbit at the corner of Wake Green Road and Swanshurst Lane has been accused of copyright infringement by lawyers representing an outfit calling itself the Saul Zaentz Company (SZC). A household name if ever there wasn't one.
The company apparently owns the worldwide rights to several Tolkien 'brands' including The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings. How on earth did this come to pass?
The cafe has traded responsibly under this name for the last six years and changing signs, menus, etc would be very costly for them. How unreasonable and how silly that they should be required to do so.
As a child JRR Tolkien lived in what is now Wake Green Road in what was then the village of Sarehole. Sarehole Mill across the way and Moseley Bog provided the inspiration for Tolkien's Shire and many of the places and people described in The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings.
SZC's lawyers stated that "Only those who qualify for a trademark licence may use Hobbit and other marks registered by SZC". The letter states that use of the name Hobbit "is likely to cause confusion, mistake or deception among prospective purchasers, who are likely to believe that your business is licensed, authorised, sponsored or endorsed by SZC". Confusion? What utter rubbish! Who cares about SZC? Who has even heard of SZC before this? Things Hobbity are part of our local heritage and our national literary tradition. JRRT would have been disgusted.
I suggest that as many of us as possible now patronise The Hungry Hobbit by taking our 'second breakfast' there in true Hobbit style. Perhaps we should get hundreds of useful lawyers to see if a name change to The 'Ungry 'Obbit would pass muster! Meanwhile, pass the mustard!
2 comments:
. . .it is arguable that they can enforce this "brand" as Tolkien did not invent this word. It is amongst a number of generic archaic mythical beings, having been recorded in various 16th century publications, so they can no more claim exclusivity to this word than they can to elf gnome or dwarf.
. . .it is arguable that they can enforce this "brand" as Tolkien did not invent this word. It is amongst a number of generic archaic mythical beings, having been recorded in various 16th century publications, so they can no more claim exclusivity to this word than they can to elf gnome or dwarf.
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