Justice ruled in favor of Prime Video in the lawsuit between the platform and the author who accused the series “The Rings of Power” of plagiarism.
Justice has ruled: no, the Rings of Power series did not plagiarize a Lord of the Rings novel written by an independent author. Last April, writer Demetrious Polychron sued the Prime Video platform, claiming that the most expensive series of all time had been inspired by elements of his book without crediting him. The Fellowship of the King.
In this novel self-published in 2022, supposed to introduce a story spanning seven books, the American author imagined a sequel to JRR Tolkien’s trilogy centered on Eleanor, the daughter of Sam Gamgie. This novel described by its author as “perfect suite” (sic) was submitted to the Tolkien Foundation a few years earlier, which refused to edit it.
An Eleanor also appears in one of the main roles in the Rings of Power series. But the latter belongs to the Piévelus race (distant ancestors of the Hobbits), while the plot of the program takes place several millennia before the adventures of The Fellowship of the Ring.
It is therefore difficult to see any link between the two stories…
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At least his book will become a collector’s item
Claiming the astronomical sum of 250 million dollars from Prime Video and the Tolkien Foundation for this not very obvious plagiarism, Demetrious Polychron was finally dismissed by the courts and ordered to pay the defense lawyers’ fees, i.e. the sum of 134 000 dollars.
It was also decided by the California court to ban the sale of his novel, and the sequels that should have been published, and to destroy all remaining physical and digital copies. Justice also demanded that the writer pay his own legal fees.
While he still has the right to appeal this decision, the writer can also wait patiently until January 1, 2044 – the date on which Tolkien’s work will enter the public domain in the United States.
The first season of the series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power can be found now exclusively on Prime Video.
Discover the list of series currently available on the platform!