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'The Hobbit' Pub Threatened With Lawsuit

Posted by Soulskill on from the it-does-not-do-to-leave-lawyers-out-of-your-calculations dept.

An anonymous reader writes "'The Hobbit,' a small pub in Southampton, England, has been threatened with a lawsuit by lawyers representing the Saul Zaentz Company in California. The pub, which has traded under the name for the last 20 years without incident, now faces closure if it does not change its name. It's yet another example of big business throwing its weight around to get its way. The pub's landlady said simply, 'I can't fight Hollywood.'"

18 of 388 comments (clear)

  1. Easy! by Megane · · Score: 5, Funny

    Change name to "The Halfling". Problem solved.

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    #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
    1. Re:Easy! by Lord_of_the_nerf · · Score: 5, Funny

      I was going to suggest 'Fantasy Midget' but I think it would be erotically misleading.

    2. Re:Easy! by rhook · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Are they going to sue the dictionary too?

      hobbit (hbt)

      — n
      1. one of an imaginary race of half-size people living in holes
      2. a nickname used for a very small type of primitive human, Homo floresiensis , following the discovery of remains of eight such people on the Island of Flores, Indonesia, in 2004

    3. Re:Easy! by wvmarle · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Not idiots. Not at all. Greedy is what they are.

    4. Re:Easy! by michelcolman · · Score: 5, Funny

      Come on, isn't it clear that this pub will reduce their income from Tolkien IP? If you have the choice between going to a "hobbit" pub or renting the movie, surely you'll go for the pub? It's only natural that they're defending their interests. Ie everybody starts opening hobbit pubs everywhere, nobody will buy the books or movies anymore. Hell, if you can read the word "hobbit" on the pub for free, why would you pay to read the book? Makes perfect sense to me. In fact, all references to anything Tolkien-related should be banned everywhere. It all just detracts from the value of the IP.

    5. Re:Easy! by Troyusrex · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The problem is more complicated than that. Companies that don't pursue any infringement they find out about vigorously often end up losing their trademark. This leads to these silly types of cases where the company doesn't really care that some small pub somewhere is using its trademark but if they don't come down hard on them the fact that they knew about it and didn't vigorously defend their trademark could cause them to lose a trademark decision against someone they do care about. Don't blame the company, blame the law that forces companies to act this way or risk losing their trademarks.

  2. Ok. What about this?. by bdwoolman · · Score: 5, Funny

    The Habit.

    --
    "No fear. No envy. No meanness." Liam Clancy
  3. Rename it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The "Fuck you Hollywood"

  4. Lend them your support! by el3mentary · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here:
    http://www.facebook.com/SaveTheHobbitSouthampton?ref=ts

    --
    I reject your reality and substitute my own.
  5. Re:Simple solution by a_nonamiss · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Terminate and Stay Resident? Am I increasing or decreasing my geek cred when I admit that's the only TSR I know?

    --
    -Arthur
    Cave ne ante ullas catapultas ambules
  6. Then Hasbro would sue by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Name it the Ten-Forward Lord Smoked Meat and Fish's Leaky Cauldron Pub and Mos Eisley Cantina of the Vulgar Unicorn.

    With all the lawsuit Publicity, you'll never close. Throw in a walk-down like Cheers and a surly endangered animal smuggling bartender named Moe, and the lawyers will be your best patrons.

  7. The Pub isn't all innocent by Necroman · · Score: 5, Informative

    If you look at their website, you'll see they use likenesses of the characters from the movies in their advertising. If the pub was just using fan artwork or coming up with their own graphical material (while using the names), they may have been left alone. But they are using the faces from the movie in their own advertising and promotional material (posters, loyalty card). That's just asking for trouble.

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    Its not what it is, its something else.
  8. I'd be ok with the lawyers... by Lord_of_the_nerf · · Score: 5, Funny

    ....if nine of them showed up to the pub dressed as Nazgul.

  9. Re:Zieg Heil! by Beelzebud · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'd imagine most of their 20 years went by just fine because they weren't using movie stills in their advertising and promotional material on their public website..

    http://www.thehobbitpub.co.uk/

  10. Doesn't this qualify as... by MrKevvy · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... Shire Art?

    /ducks

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    -- Insert witty one-liner here. --
  11. Pull an H by goombah99 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    And put up an apostrophe, it will be pronounced the same in cockney.
    the `obbit

    --
    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
    1. Re:Pull an H by Avoiderman · · Score: 5, Funny

      But I would have expected someone from the UK to get the sarcasm.

  12. Re:Simple solution by Snufu · · Score: 5, Funny

    Your geek cred remains unadjusted. But your "Get off my lawn" cred shot through the ceiling.