re: ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’ Film and Gaming Rights Up for Sale

Through Tolkien Enterprises, now Middle-earth Enterprises, Saul Zaentz owned the worldwide film, stage, and merchandise rights to J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.[15] It also includes "matching rights" should Tolkien's estate film The Silmarillion or The Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth.[16] What it did not include was the rights for televisions shows (for any show longer than eight episodes)

quote:

---

Middle-earth Enterprises, formerly known as Tolkien Enterprises, is a trade name for a division of The Saul Zaentz Company, located in Berkeley, California. The company owns the worldwide exclusive rights to certain elements of J. R. R. Tolkien's two most famous literary works: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. These elements include the names of characters contained within as well as the names of places, objects and events within them, and certain short phrases and sayings from the works.

---

Tolkien sold away any chance for the family to receive a fortune associated with the movies over 50 years ago. Their foundation will receive some money from it.