Culture news This “sequel” to Lord of the Rings will be destroyed: it will soon be impossible to discover it!
JRR Tolkien’s family and the rights holders of Middle-earth do not joke with the literary universe of their ancestor and protect it tooth and nail. A North American author recently learned this the hard way. Following the loss of his case, the latter is ordered to destroy all physical and dematerialized copies of his work and to pay a heavy fine.
Our story begins in September 2022 with the publication by Fractal Books of an unofficial sequel to Lords of the Rings. The author Demetrious Polychron then takes the liberty of publishing the first volume of a saga following the trilogy written by JRR Tolkien. The Followship of the King begins two decades after the end of the original work and more precisely in the 22nd year of the reign of High King Elessar. The story introduces the character Eleanor Gamgee Gardner – the daughter of Samwise Gamgee – as blue magicians bring terrible news. The first rings of power have been discovered and they could lead to the return of Sauron’s former master… Morgoth.
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The end of The Community of the King
If only the author hadn’t shown greed. Demetrious Polychron must be biting his fingers after suing Amazon in April 2023 for copyright infringement in the Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power series. Unfortunately for D. Polychron, the trap closed not on the online distribution giant, but indeed on him. After being dismissed by a district court, Tolkien Estate did not hesitate to return the favor.
The legal structure which manages all rights relating to the work and intellectual property of JRR Tolkien also filed a complaint for copyright infringement and this time won its case. The novel described by its author as “the perfect sequel to Lord of the Rings will therefore disappear. Indeed, Demetrious Polychron is ordered to destroy all physical and dematerialized copies of his work and never again write books based on the writings of JRR Tolkien. Finally, the author must pay a fine amounting to 134,000 US dollars to cover the legal costs of the Tolkien Estate and Amazon.
Demetrious Polychron wrote his novel for commercial purposes (it is clearly not fan fiction) without prior authorization or signed contract with the rights holders. For the Tolkien Estate’s British lawyer, This verdict is an important victory in the preservation of the copyright of this heroic-fantasy universe. Steven Maier later said:
Tolkien Estate will not allow unauthorized authors and publishers to monetize JRR Tolkien’s much-loved works in this manner. We hope that the granting of a permanent injunction and attorneys’ fees will be enough to deter others who may have similar intentions. -Steven Maier
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