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A Lord of the Rings Fan Fiction Author has been Sued for Publishing his Own Sequel

Explore the legal battle as JRR Tolkien's estate sues fan fiction writer over 'The Fellowship of the King' sequel. Get insights on Rings of Power and Amazon's role.
on Dec 19, 2023

The estate of JRR Tolkien has sued a fan fiction writer for copyright after he published his own sequel to The Lord of the Rings.

Demetrious Polychron, a US-based author, wrote The Fellowship of the King in 2022.

He referred to it as "the pitch-perfect sequel to The Lord of the Rings."

Polychron was ordered by the court to stop distributing copies of the book and to delete all physical and electronic copies.

'Frivolous' legal action

Polychron sought to sue the Tolkein estate and Amazon in April 2023, claiming that the TV series Rings of Power infringed on the copyright in his work.

The judge rejected the case after ruling that Polychron's own book infringed on Amazon's prequel, which was released in September 2022.

Critics describe The Rings of Power as stunning but plodding.

The Tolkien Estate then filed a separate case against Polychron seeking an injunction to prevent further distribution of The Fellowship of the Ring.

On Thursday, Judge Steven V Wilson dismissed the complaint as "frivolous and unreasonably filed" and issued a permanent order prohibiting him from selling his book and any of the six planned sequels.

In connection with Polychron's action, the court additionally granted the Tolkien Estate and Amazon legal fees totaling $134,000 (£106,000).

"This is an important success for the Tolkien Estate, which will not permit unauthorised authors and publishers to monetise JRR Tolkien's much-loved works in this way," said Steven Maier of Maier Blackburn, the estate's UK solicitor.

"This case involved a serious infringement of The Lord of the Rings copyright, undertaken on a commercial basis, and the estate hopes that the award of a permanent injunction and solicitors' fees will be sufficient to dissuade others who may have similar intentions."

Warner Bros. confirmed earlier this year that further Lord of the Rings films will be released in the coming years.

The second season of Amazon's TV show began production in October.

The BBC attempted to reach out to Demetrious Polychron for comment.