Re: Copyrighted Conlangs?

--- Caleb Hines <cph9fa@...> wrote:

> my guess would be that New
> Line Cinema now "owns" all of Tolkein's
> beautiful names?
My guess too. Couple years back a fellow had set
up a web buisness called "Shirepost" through
which he sells (very well done, in my opinion)
coins and stamps from the Shire and other Middle
Earth places. Anyone interested in coin
collecting and ME would do well to check it out.

I note now that where before everything was
spelled right all the names now are crippled:
Shire > Shaire; Morgoth > Morgouth; Angmar >
Angmaur.

Tis a shame, but understandable. I very much
doubt the World or Ill Bethisad will ever be so
marketable; but there is the reality that CJRT
has made a killing off his father's creation and
wants to ensure that the profits due him as Heir
keep comming in. I also understand very much that
CJRT wants to preserve both his father's vision
and his own contributions to same in a manner
unsullied by interlopers. As beautiful and as
honestly done as the Shirepost products are, they
are nevertheless infringements of a sort upon the
Author's work and may not entirely fit with the
reality Tolkein created. There is plenty of room
for knock-off products and second rate fan
fiction based loosely on his characters to
proliferate as well. It's also understandable
that New Line Cinema [or should that be New Laine
Cynyma? :) ] also want their share of the Tolkien
pie; and let's face it, they undoubtedly have
more powerful wizzards...er...lawyers at their
beck and call!

> Am I the
> only one that thinks that trademarking "the
> Shire" sounds like one of
> Saruman's plots of revenge against the Hobbits?
Sounds about right. I guess the fame of the movie
industry is a double edged sword: 15 years ago,
this would have been a nonissue. All any fans had
was a few books and a wide open imagination. Now,
things are very much different.

It is certainly something for those of us who
ever based a conculture or world - even in small
part! - upon Middle Earth (TM???) to think about
changing before some big bad lawyer swoops down
on us like Smog the Impotent (TM~!~) over
Dingledail (TM) and tells us to change it or face
Judge Sourgrape's (TM) wrath!

My own World has no more than a toehold in Middle
Earth's early mythology - but that could be
excised without much hurt. I'm thinking
especially of of Steg's Rokbeigalm, who actually
live in Tolkien's (TM) Middle Earth (TM).

Padraic (TM).


=====
la cieurgeourea provoer mal trasfu ast meiyoer ke 'l andrext ben trasfu.


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