When J.R.R. Tolkien wove his tales of hobbits, elves, wizards, orcs and the triumph of good over evil, he probably didn’t think that greedy Hollywood types would one day go after a cozy English pub that celebrates Middle Earth. But that’s just what one company is doing — suing The Hobbit in Southampton, England for copyright infringement.

BBC News says the lawyers for the California company that owns the rights to several brands tied to Tolkien, including The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings, is demanding the pub remove all traces of its 20-year-old hobbit heritage. Currently on the menu are cocktails name for characters like Frodo and Gandalf.

A letter from the lawyers says it has “exclusive worldwide rights to motion picture, merchandising, stage and other rights in certain literary works of JRR Tolkien including The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.”

Says the landlady: “We were absolutely stunned. It was completely unexpected, we never intended to infringe anyone’s copyright. Are we doing any harm? I don’t think so. We’re bringing people to the books and the stories who haven’t heard of JRR Tolkien,” adding, “We don’t have the financial resources to fight it — I can’t fight Hollywood.”

Okay, Elijah Wood. It’s up to you to stop this insanity. Take the lawsuit and throw it in Mount Doom.

Hobbit pub in Southampton threatened with legal action [BBC News]

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