'The Hobbit' Pub Threatened With Lawsuit

An anonymous reader writes "'The Hobbit,' a small pub in Southampton, England, has been threatened with a lawsuit by lawyers representing the Saul Zaentz Company in California. The pub, which has traded under the name for the last 20 years without incident, now faces closure if it does not change its name. It's yet another example of big business throwing its weight around to get its way. The pub's landlady said simply, 'I can't fight Hollywood.'"

Easy!

[Megane]

Change name to "The Halfling". Problem solved.

Ok. What about this?.

[bdwoolman]

The Habit.

Rename it...

[Anonymous Coward]

The "Fuck you Hollywood"

Re:Easy!

[Lord_of_the_nerf]

I was going to suggest 'Fantasy Midget' but I think it would be erotically misleading.

Then Hasbro would sue

[Anonymous Coward]

Name it the Ten-Forward Lord Smoked Meat and Fish's Leaky Cauldron Pub and Mos Eisley Cantina of the Vulgar Unicorn.

With all the lawsuit Publicity, you'll never close. Throw in a walk-down like Cheers and a surly endangered animal smuggling bartender named Moe, and the lawyers will be your best patrons.

Re:The Pub isn't all innocent

[Beelzebud]

Yeah it's hard to see them as being innocent victims when they're using images from the movies in their promotional flyers, etc.... That is just inviting trouble.

I'd be ok with the lawyers...

[Lord_of_the_nerf]

....if nine of them showed up to the pub dressed as Nazgul.

Doesn't this qualify as...

[MrKevvy]

... Shire Art?

/ducks

Re:The Pub isn't all innocent

[Curunir_wolf]

Verily 'tis tough to vision the owners as hapless, guiltless martyrs as they use visual reproductions from the features in their marketing materials ans stuff... that is only leaving the door open to conflict.

Re:Easy!

[Yvan256]

If you're going to rename the bar "The Hobgoblin" you might as well just rename it to "Moe's".

Re:Simple solution

[Snufu]

Your geek cred remains unadjusted. But your "Get off my lawn" cred shot through the ceiling.

Re:Pull an H

[Custard Horse]

Which is next to Scotland and London isn't it? Stratford, where Shakespeare came from, is in London is it not? The UK is such a small country - who can say where these places are - there is literally no way to clarify...

I'm from the UK by the way, before anybody mistakes me for my cousins across the pond.

Re:Easy!

[root_42]

Then just rename it 'The Hobbit (book) - For other uses, see Hobbit (disambiguation)'. :^)

Re:Easy!

[michelcolman]

Come on, isn't it clear that this pub will reduce their income from Tolkien IP? If you have the choice between going to a "hobbit" pub or renting the movie, surely you'll go for the pub? It's only natural that they're defending their interests. Ie everybody starts opening hobbit pubs everywhere, nobody will buy the books or movies anymore. Hell, if you can read the word "hobbit" on the pub for free, why would you pay to read the book? Makes perfect sense to me. In fact, all references to anything Tolkien-related should be banned everywhere. It all just detracts from the value of the IP.

Re:Pull an H

[Avoiderman]

But I would have expected someone from the UK to get the sarcasm.