# Delusional Egomaniacal LOTR fan-fiction writer has a bad day **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** middle-earth, books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [December 19, 2023, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800 "2023-12-19T01:23:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800/1 "2023-12-19T01:23:07Z")
Demetrious Polychron is a fan-fiction writer. He wrote what he described as a “pitch-perfect” prequel to the _Lord of the Rings_ books. Sure that the Tolkien estate would be eager to collaborate on publishing his books, he tried to contact them via letter, via lawyer, and via hand-delivered copy, all of which were ignored or rejected. So he decided to publish the book and a planned 397 sequels on his own. Later, when Amazon produced their _Rings of Power_ TV series, Polychron (rough translation: too much time) decided to sue Amazon and the Tolkien estate for infringing on his fan fiction. > **[The balls on this guy: An author is suing Amazon and JRR Tolkien's grandson...](https://www.pcgamer.com/rings-of-power-lawsuit/)** > > The author of "The Fellowship Of The King" wants $250M because he says Amazon and The Tolkien Estate stole his ideas for The Rings of Power. The results are in, and the courts said “nope”. > **[The guy who sued Amazon for infringing on his Lord of the Rings fanfic takes...](https://www.pcgamer.com/the-guy-who-sued-amazon-for-infringing-on-his-lord-of-the-rings-fanfic-takes-a-massive-l-now-owes-dollar134000-to-the-tolkien-estate/)** > > Author Demetrious Polychron wanted $250 million for infringement of his book The Fellowship of the King. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800/2 "2023-12-19T01:28:44Z")
The synopsis on the back of the book jacket, as shown in the above links, sounds extremely unoriginal and derivative, like it came from the mind of a Marvel screenwriter who needs to come up with an even bigger Big Bad after they killed the Biggest Bad What Ever Was in the last film, and shows a lack of understanding of Tolkien’s themes and religious outlook. How is the Tolkien estate not suing him for having the audacity to actually publish this? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800/3 "2023-12-19T01:35:30Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > How is the Tolkien estate not suing him for having the audacity to actually publish this? Typically, it’s a matter of the IP owner’s lawyers not being aware of it. My wife used to be involved in the fan-fic community, and it was, at that time, an awful lot of self-published stuff, with extremely small distribution, which largely flew under the radar of lawyers. But, in this case, the doofus was intentionally and repeatedly bringing his work to the estate’s attention, so I really do wonder why there wasn’t any lawyer brought to bear earlier – the article from today indicates that, now, the estate _has_ filed a lawsuit against Polycron. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800/4 "2023-12-19T03:17:23Z")
Sure, it seems hopeless now. But if Tolkien has taught us anything, it’s that now is the time that brave Polychron needs to persevere against the odds and continue his quest. Damn the evil Tolkien estate! Good will triumph. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800/5 "2023-12-19T06:53:37Z")
This reminds of a story where investors spent millions buying a copy of a book that details Alejandro Jodorowsky’s attempt to make a _Dune_ movie and believed that it gave them the rights to make a _Dune_ movie themselves. [https://www.indy100.com/showbiz/crypto-nft-dune-jodorowsky-book-copyright-b1994553](https://www.indy100.com/showbiz/crypto-nft-dune-jodorowsky-book-copyright-b1994553) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800/6 "2023-12-19T07:26:58Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Typically, it’s a matter of the IP owner’s lawyers not being aware of it. What is weird is that Games Workshop sues Fan artists. (and other people). I mean who could be more harmless than fan artists? But apparently they trolled the boards looking for the art, then sent out C&D letters to all and sundry. So, there’s no telling what companies will do. And many individuals dont have the $ to fight back, however, this noob sued dudes with deep, DEEP pockets. Big mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800/7 "2023-12-19T08:57:54Z")
Yes, that still makes me angry: > [@So you have way too much money. You buy a comic for 2.66 Million Euro, of course](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-have-way-too-much-money-you-buy-a-comic-for-2-66-million-euro-of-course/954776): > > The estimate was only 25,000 - 35,000 Euro, but something got out of hand: OK, I get it. Jean Giroud is better known under the name Moebius. He was a genius. Alejandro Jodorowsky is no nobody either. And Dune is just popular right now. I was outbid by a factor of over 65… sigh. The expert that estimated the sale value must have been a bit surprised too. Now who is the billionaire that has a soft spot for Dune and Jodorowsky and Moebius? And who was the other bidder who drove him to such an e… But I would not call NFT-crypto-scammers “investors”. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800/8 "2023-12-19T09:10:10Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > But, in this case, the doofus was intentionally and repeatedly bringing his work to the estate’s attention, so I really do wonder why there wasn’t any lawyer brought to bear earlier – the article from today indicates that, now, the estate _has_ filed a lawsuit against Polycron. ⁢ My guess would be that they didn’t want to be perceived as going after fanfiction. They wanted it very clear that this guy is doing something far beyond that. Fanfiction is generally liked by copyright owners as long as it is kept free and clearly labeled as such. It means fans are engaging heavily with the work, and can even act as free advertising. And it almost never competes with the original. ---
**Author:** ![TwoCarrotSnowman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twocarrotsnowman/32/15879_2.png) [@TwoCarrotSnowman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoCarrotSnowman)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800/9 "2023-12-19T09:15:57Z")
My (extremely ill-informed) understanding was that IP owners need to defend against small infringements, even if they don’t care much, because not doing so makes it harder to defend against the big ones they do care about. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800/10 "2023-12-19T09:57:00Z")
> [@TwoCarrotSnowman](#): > > My (extremely ill-informed) understanding was that IP owners need to defend against small infringements, even if they don’t care much, because not doing so makes it harder to defend against the big ones they do care about. ⁢ What I know is that this applies to trademark, but not copyright. What I don’t know is if the guy’s books infringed on trademark, but they likely do infringe on copyright by using copyrighted characters. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800/11 "2023-12-19T10:28:50Z")
This was an attempted scam, surely? He knows or bets that the Tolkien estate is going to collaborate on new TV/film work and that it will a) be a prequel because that’s where the Tolkien material lies and b) cover the Rings of Power material because that’s the obvious choice to tie in to the films. So he doesn’t just write fan-fiction based on the available Tolkien writings, he goes to great lengths to ensure that there is a paper trail (sent via lawyer, hand delivered) showing that the Tolkien estate knew of his fan-fiction in particular. Then when the programme is made, he rocks up with his lawyers and uses the paper trail and the inevitable similarities in two works based on the same source material to claim that they ripped him off. He’s probably not planning on winning at trial, he’s probably planning to get a “oh, just go away” settlement. Sadly for him, the estate’s response was rather more emphatic than “oh, just go away”. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800/12 "2023-12-19T11:49:58Z")
“Fool of a crook!” Ok, he’s not a crook, but it was too good not to use. And “ Steven Maier” is a great name for Tolkien’s lawyer. I wonder how much of this kind of thing he handles all day. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800/13 "2023-12-19T14:19:09Z")
> [@TwoCarrotSnowman](#): > > My (extremely ill-informed) understanding was that IP owners need to defend against small infringements, even if they don’t care much, because not doing so makes it harder to defend against the big ones they do care about. That’s trademark, not copyright. You don’t have to defend your copyright to keep it. A trademark can be lost it can be shown to have become generic, which can happen if they don’t defend it. That doesn’t require a lawsuit by the trademark holder; they can just send a letter reminding you of its trademark status. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800/14 "2023-12-19T14:49:06Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > This reminds of a story where investors spent millions buying a copy of a book that details Alejandro Jodorowsky’s attempt to make a _Dune_ movie and believed that it gave them the rights to make a _Dune_ movie themselves. I read this and thought to myself “Wow, that sounds like something that NFT crypto-idiots would try”. > [@dorvann](#): > > [NFT group spends $3m on Dune book mistakingly thinking that they now own the copyright | indy100](https://www.indy100.com/showbiz/crypto-nft-dune-jodorowsky-book-copyright-b1994553) And then I saw the URL. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800/15 "2023-12-19T16:34:22Z")
I’m reminded of a lawsuit I read transcripts in a while back – a guy claimed the makers of “Kung Fu Panda” had ripped off his original artwork and story lines, and he offered his work as evidence of the theft. Turned out forensic examination of the stuff revealed he’d whomped it up AFTER Kung Fu Panda came out. His deposition turned into an excruciating destruction of his case. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800/16 "2023-12-19T17:07:18Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Demetrious Polychron is a fan-fiction writer. He wrote what he described as a “pitch-perfect” prequel to the _Lord of the Rings_ books. Sure that the Tolkien estate would be eager to collaborate on publishing his books, Something all writers have to remember: other than submissions to The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, simply by definition you will think your writing is good- you’d hardly submit it otherwise. A would-be author has to bow to the opinions of others. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800/17 "2023-12-19T17:16:19Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Something all writers have to remember: other than submissions to The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, simply by definition you will think your writing is good Really? When do I get to that part? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800/18 "2023-12-19T20:53:06Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > This was an attempted scam, surely? No, I suspect just your standard person with an extremely high opinion of himself and his writing skills. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delusional-egomaniacal-lotr-fan-fiction-writer-has-a-bad-day/994800/19 "2023-12-19T20:53:25Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > > > Demetrious Polychron is a fan-fiction writer. He wrote what he described as a “pitch-perfect” prequel to the _Lord of the Rings_ books. Sure that the Tolkien estate would be eager to collaborate on publishing his books, > > Something all writers have to remember: other than submissions to The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, simply by definition you will think your writing is good- you’d hardly submit it otherwise. A would-be author has to bow to the opinions of others. Well, I’ve sold stories to major magazines that I wasn’t happy with. But generally bad writers see only what’s good in their work, while good writers see what’s bad. Because if you think something is bad, you can fix it.