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Hobbit pub in Southampton threatened with legal action


aronoiiel

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Well, here's my take on that, emailed to astenberg@warehamdevelopment.com who is the developer for the Zaentz Media Center where SZC is headquartered. Interesting to note that there is no contact email on *their* web site.

For 20 years, according to the BBC article, the Hobbit pub in Southampton has been using the name and you've had naught to say about it. Now, *now* you're suing for copyright infringement.

For six years, the Hobbit Cafe in Birmingham has used the name, now, with a new owner struggling to survive you demand that she phase out use of anything that might infringe on your copyright. This cafe is in the area where Tolkien grew up, it's also suggested that many of the local landmarks were used as a basis for locations by Tolkien - the Hobbit and Tolkien would seem to be an embedded part of the Birmingham area. What logical reason can you possibly see for depriving the owner of use of regional heritage?

Mention of the Hobbit brings back memories of many evenings of enjoyable reading, now it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth because, it seems, that someone's legal department has decided to prosecute people whose memories bring back good times.

There can be no doubt in any reasonable persons mind that there is not relationship between you multi-million dollar complex and the common man (and woman) striving to make a living, to even raise that flag makes you look ludicrous!

If it offends you so greatly that people who have been using the name why don't you simply require that their advertisements, menus, etc carry a disclaimer - it's often enough done by others more reasonable firms.

followed with my normal email contact information.

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