'LOTR' Rights Now Owned by Swedish Gambling Co. (!)

[Mark Jeffries]

The company owned by the estate of San Francisco show biz investor Saul Zaentz (don't ask John Fogerty what he thinks of Zaentz) has sold the intellectual property rights of the whole Middle Earth magilla to Swedish gaming concern Embracer (the Tolkien estate and HarperCollins still control the publishing rights to the franchise)--the forthcoming Amazon series won't be affected by this--immediately:

https://www.thewrap.com/lord-of-the-rings-hobbit-ip-rights-embracer-acquisition/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking_news_5861424

I wonder what TV's biggest Hobbit-head Stephen Colbert thinks of all this, but I'm sure his hack writers will come up with a cold open with ABBA singing about Gandolf, with the lyrics in the lower third for fair use claims.

[Bob Jersey]

https://www.songfacts.com/facts/john-fogerty/vanz-kant-danz (link)     B

Mark Jeffries, in part, Aug 19th, with emphasis added: