The Hobbit Pub, a Southampton, England establishment that has been operating under that name for more than 20 years, was recently asked by The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings rights holder the Saul Zaentz Company to pay annual licensing fees or change its name and Hobbit theme.

Fans of the pub started a Facebook campaign to save it, and now their pleas have been answered by Gandalf himself, Ian McKellen.

McKellen and fellow Hobbit actor Stephen Fry (who plays the Master of Laketown) have agreed to pay the necessary fees, allowing the pub to stay open while keeping Zaentz happy.

McKellen described the company's actions as "unnecessary pettiness," while Fry called them "self-defeating bullying."

According to the owner of The Hobbit, "They've said as soon as they finish filming they would like to come down and visit the pub."

[blastr]

A Southampton, England pub called The Hobbit is under threat by producer Saul Zaentz, who owns the worldwide film, stage and merchandising rights to J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit.

The owners of the pub, which been called "The Hobbit" for more than 20 years, say that the Saul Zaentz Company has given them until the end of May to change the name of the business or face a lawsuit.

They say their website, artwork, font and even drink menu -- with libations named after Lord of the Rings characters -- may also have to go.

The regulars describe the battle as "hobbits vs. orcs," and a Facebook group dedicated to saving the pub now has 7,500 members.

The Hobbit pub isn't the first Tolkien-themed establishment the Zaentz Company has confronted. They've also gone after a café called The Hungry Hobbit, located near Tolkien's childhood home in Birmingham.

[torrentfreak]