- Author Demetrious Polychron has filed a massive $250 million lawsuit against Amazon over their Prime Video series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
- Polychron claims the streaming service stole the idea for the series from his 2017 fanfiction book, The Fellowship of the King
- A California judge not only ruled for both Amazon and The Tolkien Estate, but also ordered Polychron to pay their $134,000 legal fees
A little-known author’s massive $250 million lawsuit against Amazon and The Tolkien Estate has failed.
Author Demetrious Polychron has filed a $250 million lawsuit against Amazon over their Prime Video streaming service series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Polychrone claims the streaming service stole the idea for the series from his 2017 fanfiction book, The Fellowship of the King.
A California judge not only ruled for both Amazon and The Tolkien Estate, but also ordered Polychron to pay their $134,000 legal fees.
California District Court Judge Stephen V. Wilson dismissed both lawsuits filed by Polycron.
Author Demetrious Polychron has filed a $250 million lawsuit against Amazon over their Prime Video streaming service series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Polychrone claims the streaming service stole the idea for the series from his 2017 fanfiction book, The Fellowship of the King
The author registered his fanfiction sequel book The Fellowship of the King in 2017, which he claimed was the “perfect sequel to The Lord of the Rings.”
He filed the lawsuit in April against both Amazon and The Tolkien Estate, which manages the works of the late Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien.
The lawsuit alleged that both Amazon and The Tolkien Estate had infringed on his copyright for his fan fiction book.
Wilson not only threw out both lawsuits and ordered Polychron to pay Amazon and The Tolkien Estate’s legal fees, but he also prevented him from selling The Fellowship of the King.
The judge entered a permanent injunction preventing Polychron from ever distributing any more copies of The Fellowship of the King.
It also prevented him from selling copies of his planned sequels or other derivative works by author JRR Tolkien.
The author has also been ordered to destroy all physical and electronic copies of The Fellowship of the King and to file a declaration – under penalty of perjury – that he has complied with all court requests.
The judge also denied Polychron’s request to have Amazon and The Tolkien Estate pay for its legal fees.
“This is a significant success for the Tolkien Estate, which will not allow unauthorized authors and publishers to monetize JRR Tolkien’s beloved works in this way,” said Steven Maier, the Tolkien Estate’s British lawyer.
The author registered his fanfiction sequel book The Fellowship of the King in 2017, which he claimed was the “perfect sequel to The Lord of the Rings.”
Wilson not only threw out both lawsuits and ordered Polychron to pay Amazon and The Tolkien Estate’s legal fees, but he also prevented him from selling The Fellowship of the King.
The author has also been ordered to destroy all physical and electronic copies of The Fellowship of the King and to file a declaration – under penalty of perjury – that he has complied with all court requests.
Tolkien’s work will not enter the public domain until January 1, 2044 – 95 years after his first work was published
Tolkien’s work will not enter the public domain until January 1, 2044 – 95 years after his first work was published.
The Rings of Power made headlines in 2017 when Amazon acquired the TV rights to Tolkien’s work for an astonishing $250 million.
The deal was said to be for more than $1 billion, including production costs for the sprawling first season.
The show was renewed for a second season, expected to return in 2024, although no premiere date for season 2 was given.
