The ongoing furore surrounding Saul Zaentz Company threatening The Hobbit Pub in Southampton with legal action is showing no sign of dying down. The Facebook group that kickstarted the online campaign now has an eye-watering 45,000+ supporters following the intervention of Twitter heavyweight Stephen Fry. And now, The Hobbit Pub doesn’t just have the support of the Master of Laketown, but also of the Grey Wizard himself…
Sir Ian McKellen, himself a pub part-landlord, has thrown his weight behind Stephen Fry’s earlier comments, declaring he is “with him all the way”. Sir Ian, once famously introduced by Stephen Fry at the BAFTA’s as “Serena McKellen”, has promised to visit the pub in person, once he has finished filming on The Hobbit movies in July.
Sir Ian’s support will only add to the coverage the story has already had around the world and we’re sure this has got a way to go yet. A resolution may not be around the corner, but we’ll have some fresh information on this developing story for you very soon. Stay tuned to Middle-earth network news!
4pm EST : UPDATE
BBC is now reporting that Saul Zaentz Company have offered to “amicably resolve” their dispute with The Hobbit pub. Reportedly producer Paul Zaentz has said he is “open to licensing the pub to use its JRR Tolkien brands” and to “grant them licence for a nominal fee – approximately $100 a year.”
Is this a victory for the campaign? What are the “infringing articles” that the pub will have to stop selling to be granted a licence? Was this all public sabre-rattling on the part of Saul Zaentz Company to make others aware that the company will defend the trademarks they have registered? I’d say the story isn’t over and has a lot more to it that remains to be told. We’ll tell you more very soon right here on Middle-earth network news.
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“We’ve got the White Wizard, that’s got to count for something.”
Couldn’t have put it better myself.
Need to start an “Occupy the Hobbit” movement!
Gandalf for president gets my vote
Yes, this was all about showing that they will defend their trademarks. That’s all it ever was from the point of view of the lawyers. They picked a bad target and got much more negative publicity than they ever dreamed and they are trying to back slowly away from the problem. It’s not clear that legally the pub needs to pay them even the $100 dollars for the license, but since they’ve gotten way more than $100 worth of publicity out of this, they could just call it a win and let the whole thing go away.
The Shire, Middle-earth, The Hobbit are what Professor Tolkien created are a treasure of tales that should be shared and cared for with love and passion …The Hobbit Pub have 20 years of trading with that name here in England, if that is ok for the Tolkien family and he Tolkien Estate…then it is ok for me ….The Hobbit was written here, after all
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