The Hobbit star criticises attempt by production's lawyers to force Southampton pub to change its name
Stephen Fry has weighed into a legal battle over the name of The Hobbit pub in Southampton. Photograph: Getty Images/PA
The battle between Hollywood and The Hobbit gained an unexpected new recruit as the British performer Stephen Fry threw his weight behind a campaign to save an imperiled Southampton public house. Fry, who is currently shooting his role as the Master of Laketown in Peter Jackson's Tolkien adaptation, criticised an attempt by the production's lawyers to force the pub to change its name. "Sometimes I'm ashamed of the business I'm in," he tweeted. "What pointless, self-defeating bullying."
The Hobbit pub in Portswood, Southampton, which serves bespoke cocktails named after JRR Tolkien's characters, has been given until the end of May to change its name or face costly legal action. The challenge was launched by Middle-Earth Enterprises, a division of the LA-based Saul Zaentz Company, which controls worldwide merchandising rights to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In recent months the company has also targeted The Hungry Hobbit, a sandwich bar based near the author's childhood home of Sarehole, near Birmingham.
Stella Roberts, landlady of the Hobbit pub, claims it will cost thousands to re-brand the business. "The pub has been called The Hobbit for more than 20-years and it has never been a problem," she said. "I believe the decision to target us now was prompted by the release of the film ... We just haven't got the resources to fight it. I can't fight Hollywood."
In the wake of the legal challenge, a Facebook campaign to save The Hobbit has amassed 15,000 followers. "We are aware of the situation and are currently consulting with our lawyers," said a spokesperson for Punch Taverns, which owns the freehold to the building.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – the first instalment of Jackson's two-part Hobbit adaptation – is set for global release on 14 December
The Hobbit pub in Portswood, Southampton, which serves bespoke cocktails named after JRR Tolkien's characters, has been given until the end of May to change its name or face costly legal action. The challenge was launched by Middle-Earth Enterprises, a division of the LA-based Saul Zaentz Company, which controls worldwide merchandising rights to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In recent months the company has also targeted The Hungry Hobbit, a sandwich bar based near the author's childhood home of Sarehole, near Birmingham.
Stella Roberts, landlady of the Hobbit pub, claims it will cost thousands to re-brand the business. "The pub has been called The Hobbit for more than 20-years and it has never been a problem," she said. "I believe the decision to target us now was prompted by the release of the film ... We just haven't got the resources to fight it. I can't fight Hollywood."
In the wake of the legal challenge, a Facebook campaign to save The Hobbit has amassed 15,000 followers. "We are aware of the situation and are currently consulting with our lawyers," said a spokesperson for Punch Taverns, which owns the freehold to the building.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – the first instalment of Jackson's two-part Hobbit adaptation – is set for global release on 14 December
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