Warner Bros. and J.R.R. Tolkien estate settle Lord of the Rings dispute

• Nick Spake


• 5 Jul 2017

For the past five years, Warner Bros. and author J.R.R. Tolkien’s estate have been disputing over the digital exploitations for The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies. Much like the walk to Mordor, it seemingly took forever, but the lawsuit has finally come to an end.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a Warner Bros. spokesperson stated, “The parties are pleased that they have amicably resolved this matter and look forward to working together in the future.”

The Tolkien Estate filed this $80 million lawsuit back in 2012 after a lawyer received a spam email regarding the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Online Slot Game. This was seen as a shot to Tolkien’s legacy, which went against a contract detailing that Warner Bros. could only release “tangible” merchandise inspired by the books.

While terms of the settlement have yet to be released to the public, it’s good to know that the matter has been dropped in the fires of Mount Doom.