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Australia's Lord of the Fries heads for IP mediation with Tolkien rights holders

By James Panichi ( May 8, 2025, 04:05 GMT | Insight) -- The US-based owner of the rights to J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings novels has been directed by an Australian court to engage in mediation with the local Lord of the Fries fast-food restaurant chain over an intellectual property dispute. Judge Michael Lee told a Federal Court of Australia hearing that while he understood that Middle-earth Enterprises wanted to expedite its claim, he was determined to ensure that attempts at mediation had been exhausted before setting the next hearing in the lawsuit.The US-based owner of the rights to J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings novels has been directed by an Australian court to engage in mediation with the local Lord of the Fries fast-food restaurant chain over an intellectual property dispute....

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