LotR1- Fellowship of the Ring

[Whaleyland]

Games Workshop only owns the rights to making miniatures, so we should be outside their jurisdiction. However, there is definitely one or more companies out there with rights to making board games. When the movies were out, I know Decipher had card game rights and whoever owns RISK and Monopoly owned board game rights. They also created the pre-film Lord of the Rings board game. However, I have never really heard of either of those companies attacking small independent fan sites like this.

[meepleater]

Do they own the rights for the movies, books or both? This is based on the books (so includes places excluded from the movies)...

[Whaleyland]

Do they own the rights for the movies, books or both? This is based on the books (so includes places excluded from the movies)...

Doesn't work like that. They all own the rights to the books (or at least some of the books). New Line Cinema owns the patents to make movies based on the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit (but not any of the additional material). Decipher had separate contracts with Tolkien Estate and New Line to make the card game. Parker Brothers owns the right to make games based off of both as well (again, a dual contract). It's all very complex but basically Tolkien Estates and New Line Cinema gave out rights to a bunch of companies to make merchandise for the movie releases, but some of the companies kept their contracts long after the movies came out and still make stuff in relation to it. Like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, and other franchises, it's all a complex network of patronage.

[Novelty]

Added to public downloads.  I think as a fan-made thing, it's fine.  We aren't using any images or anything that has a copyright from Tolkien, the only thing that maybe contentious are the names, which we can easily change.

[canada steve]

Nov, nice to see you woke up  Some of the names are copyrighted I think you'll find.

[Novelty]

Some of the names are copyrighted I think you'll find.

Which is why I said:

the only thing that maybe contentious are the names, which we can easily change.

Has there been any cases of the Tolkien estate, or any of the franchisees, coming down on things like fan artwork, fanfiction, etc?

[canada steve]

Games Workshop have shutdown various projects from other companies due to the names being "too like" tolkien stuff !!!!! Just be careful as you dont want a lawsuit, especially when you arent making anything out of the game....