5-Year Long Legal Dispute Involving Lord of the Rings Slot is Resolved

Five years ago Microgaming pulled out of the collection and replaced one of its popular slots, “The Lord of the Rings”, originally a story written by J. R. R. Tolkien, with another release - “The Dark  Knight” game. The reason for doing so was the lawsuit, filed by Tolkien’s estate and against Warner Bros. The aim of the legal dispute was to establish whether the company had the rights to use the LOTR brand for products, related to gambling. Both parties finally came to an agreement on the 29th of June, 2017, resolving the long-lasting battle.

The initial agreement between the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien, HarperCollins, and Warner Bros., signed in 1969, included the information about merchandising rights, and allowed the film studio to use details from the book and to sell "articles of tangible personal property". Studio’s production of a series of films, based on the “Lord of the Rings” book, has generated $5.8 billion on the story-related goods.  

The Estate claimed that this agreement did not cover digital downloadable apps and goods, spread via the Internet.

“Both parties finally came to an agreement.”

The suitor also pointed out that the Microgaming’s video slot, based on the film “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”, harmed the reputation of the author. As a result, $80m lawsuit was filed against Warner Bros.

Attorneys for both companies settled an agreement, resolving the legal battle that started in 2012. They give out no details about it. "The parties are pleased that they have amicably resolved this matter and look forward to working together in the future."

Source:

Latestcasinobonuses.com, “J.R.R. Tolkien Estate Settles $80M Dispute with Warner Bros”, July 7, 2017.