• BaardFigur@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Hobbit was a word way before J.R.R. wrote his books, stupid that they were able to sue them

    • SomeoneElse@lemmy.ca
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      11 months ago

      When it happened I thought the typeface was the issue rather than the word hobbit. But no.Here’s before and this is after. I can’t get my head around the fact that the production company sued this tiny sandwich shop. It’s so ridiculous!

    • Nawor3565
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      11 months ago

      Unfortunately, you can sue anyone for any bogus reason you want. And if you have more money than whoever you’re suing, it doesn’t matter how frivolous it is, because you can just bankrupt them by forcing them to pay lawyer fees.

      • SomeoneElse@lemmy.ca
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        11 months ago

        That’s precisely what happened here. The place had been called the hungry hobbit for years under multiple owners. The current owner bought it, updated some official paperwork and within the first 6 months of her ownership got hit with the “unauthorised usage” bs. She couldn’t afford to fight it. Thankfully the “hungry hobb” is still doing enough business to stay open 12 years later.

    • Auli@lemmy.ca
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      11 months ago

      Really where was it used?
      Found it but no it was not. One line in one book from 1895 “The whole earth was overrun with ghosts, boggles … hobbits, hobgoblins."
      So still think it’s very unlikely it was a word that anyone knew before the Hobbit.