Microlodge has been making holiday homes – timber pods that are fully equipped with electricity and used by those who desire to camp in comfort – for three years. These rounded pods were nicknamed hobbit houses by customers, as they bear some resemblance; however, the firm now faces the threat of legal action if they continue to use the word ‘hobbit’ in conjunction with their homes.
Lawyers on behalf of American film producer Saul Zaentz, who produced the Lord of the Rings and will now be producing The Hobbit, ordered Millar to remove the word ‘hobbit’ from the firm’s website.
Steve Millar, the boss of Microlodge, referred to the threat as an overreaction, though he has complied and taken the name ‘hobbit’ out of his homes. Renaming his cat Gandalf in order to spite those in opposition, he added: “I’ll sign their letter and I’ll say sorry but people will still call them hobbit houses.”
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