Tolkien Estate Wins Court Order To Destroy Fan's 'Lord of the Rings' Sequel

Remy Tumin reports via the New York Times: It was supposed to be what a fan described as a 'loving homage' to his hero, the author J.R.R. Tolkien, and to 'The Lord of the Rings,' which he called 'one of the most defining experiences of his life.' A judge in California had another view. The fan, Demetrious Polychron of Santa Monica, Calif., violated copyright protections this year when he wrote and published a sequel to the epic 'Rings' series, U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson of the Central District of California ruled last week. In a summary judgment, Judge Wilson found 'direct evidence of copying' and barred Polychron from further distributing the book or any others in a planned series. He also ordered Polychron to destroy all electronic and physical copies of the published work, 'The Fellowship of the King,' by Sunday. As of Wednesday, Amazon and Barnes & Noble were no longer listing the book for sale online. Steven Maier, a lawyer for the Tolkien estate, said the injunction was 'an important success' for protecting Tolkien's work. 'This case involved a serious infringement of The Lord of the Rings copyright, undertaken on a commercial basis,' he said. 'The estate hopes that the award of a permanent injunction and attorneys' fees will be sufficient to dissuade others who may have similar intentions.'

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