Country Squire's Middle Earth Series to be Renamed.

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Well that's a bummer! I now have to wonder if Sutliff actually secured the rights from the Tolkien estate to use the name, "Eastfarthing" for one of their blends, or if they're next in line for the intellectual property litigation chopping block.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

The problem of course is that while we have a system, grievously flawed though it may be, to determine what’s legal we have no such mechanism to determine what’s fair. It’s hard enough to get any three people to agree on where to have lunch; it’d be impossible to get a consensus on what constitutes fair.

I'm sure that for a corporate tobacco manufacturer, making money off of a discontinued blend is the key.

 

[lukasstrifeson]

Well, it looks like Country Squire has run afoul of the licensing Nazgul and will have to reissue their Middle Earth blends under different names.
I can't help but think that the good professor would be disappointed, I certainly am.

But at least the blends will be reissued after a short absence.

It seems the world gets more petty and ridiculous by the day.
I sure hope The Ring goes into the fire soon.

I amar prestar aen.
Han matho ne nen.
Han matho ned vae.
A han noston ned gwilith.

Alas, the all-seeing eye of Sauron has finally reached Mississippi. The Age of Free Advertising is coming to an end and the Age of Royalties shall rise.

- - -

Shame. Old Toby is my favorite aromatic, hand's down. However, I don't care what they call it, he'll always be Old Toby to me.

I hope it comes back as Tobias the White just as we need it most!

 

[EvertonFC]

I both get it and think it feels wildly petty.

 

[woodsroad]

Well, it looks like Country Squire has run afoul of the licensing Nazgul and will have to reissue their Middle Earth blends under different names.
I can't help but think that the good professor would be disappointed, I certainly am.

But at least the blends will be reissued after a short absence.

It seems the world gets more petty and ridiculous by the day.
I sure hope The Ring goes into the fire soon.

As someone who produces IP for a living, and relies on the protections afforded by copyright law to make that living, I wholeheartedly and vociferously disagree with you. Squatting on, and deriving benefits from someone else’s labor is theft. And pretty slimey theft at that. If these tobacco blends were so wonderful, they would sell just fine with names like “Number One” or “I Like It”. They wouldn’t need to lean on someone else’s creative talent to sell them.

 

[pappymac]

Remember "Hobbit's Weed"? It was a goopy cherry vanilla blend a few years back. Guys that compulsively hated on aromatics would buy Hobbit's Weed to feel more connected to LOTR, as if Hobbits would smoke an aromatic, ha ha.

I have read the books a number of times and what I imagined was different than what most imagined when it came to pipe smoking in the books.

I always imagined the Hobbits smoking straight Virginias or an English blend in a Corn Cob churchwarden pipe because it seemed like they lived in an agrarian society.

I pictured Gandalf smoking a Meerschaum churchwarden. I imagined if anyone smoked an aromatic, it would be him.

The humans, like Aragorn, I could see smoking a briar or other hardwood pipe that they crafted while roaming around. I also imagined them smoking non-aromatics. That being said, they would also smoke clay pipes when in the taverns.

I envisioned the Dwarves smoking either a pipe made from soapstone or maybe a wooden pipe clad in silver. I think dwarves would smoke heavy latakia blends.

I just don't see the elves smoking tobacco.

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

I have read the books a number of times and what I imagined was different than what most imagined when it came to pipe smoking in the books.

I always imagined the Hobbits smoking straight Virginias or an English blend in a Corn Cob churchwarden pipe because it seemed like they lived in an agrarian society.

I pictured Gandalf smoking a Meerschaum churchwarden. I imagined if anyone smoked an aromatic, it would be him.

The humans, like Aragorn, I could see smoking a briar or other hardwood pipe that they crafted while roaming around. I also imagined them smoking non-aromatics. That being said, they would also smoke clay pipes when in the taverns.

I envisioned the Dwarves smoking either a pipe made from soapstone or maybe a wooden pipe clad in silver. I think dwarves would smoke heavy latakia blends.

I just don't see the elves smoking tobacco.

Bilbo's pipe collection isn't to shabby. The details are amazing, like the reamer.

 

[pappymac]

Bilbo's pipe collection isn't to shabby. The details are amazing, like the reamer.

View attachment 248970

Which book is that from?
My copies of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy are not illustrated.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Bilbo's pipe collection isn't to shabby. The details are amazing, like the reamer.

View attachment 248970

The briars look Danish to me, and, of course the hunter's pipes are Germanic.

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

Which book is that from?
My copies of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy are not illustrated.

I think it's from the Hobbit cartoon with Leonard Nemoy narrating. If not, it would be from the Hobbit cartoon.

 

[Kobold]

The Tolkien estate would have their hands full if they ever decided to go after all the metal bands and dungeon synth performers that use their ip.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

We don't exactly know what is going on behind the office doors. And, if asked, they would legally have to respond that they are merely "protecting their IP."
However, what a company says is rarely the whole story. They may be having issues keeping the books in children's sections because of tobacco use. And, they may want to downplay that association with tobacco.
Merely speculation, but who knows.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Same here. I thought I was the only one

Same on the books. My oldest daughter was 9 when the first movie came out, she wanted to go so of course we did! She loves her Tolkien - I’ve even endured an afternoon into night marathon of all three movies, haha. The books just weren’t on the radar for me as a kid - she still tries to get me to read “The Hobbit”, maybe someday.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

We don't exactly know what is going on behind the office doors. And, if asked, they would legally have to respond that they are merely "protecting their IP."
However, what a company says is rarely the whole story. They may be having issues keeping the books in children's sections because of tobacco use. And, they may want to downplay that association with tobacco.
Merely speculation, but who knows.

Unfortunately, see the rewrite of “A Visit From St. Nicholas”!

 

[EvertonFC]

The Tolkien estate would have their hands full if they ever decided to go after all the metal bands and dungeon synth performers that use their ip.

I had the same exact thought when I read this. Hell, Blind Guardian has a concept album called "Nightfall in Middle Earth". And as you said, the number of metal bands whose names, albums or songs "borrow" from Tolkien is insane.

 

[EvertonFC]

As someone who produces IP for a living, and relies on the protections afforded by copyright law to make that living, I wholeheartedly and vociferously disagree with you. Squatting on, and deriving benefits from someone else’s labor is theft. And pretty slimey theft at that.

But surely there are gradations. If I steal something from someone who was just trying to make a living, even a very generous living, I'm with you. But a tiny little shop, paying homage with a name, taken from a 70 year old book, from an author who's been dead for 50 years, whose estate is worth half a billion dollars? Color me less sympathetic.

 

[Snook]

Well, it looks like Country Squire has run afoul of the licensing Nazgul and will have to reissue their Middle Earth blends under different names.
I can't help but think that the good professor would be disappointed, I certainly am.

But at least the blends will be reissued after a short absence.

It seems the world gets more petty and ridiculous by the day.
I sure hope The Ring goes into the fire soon.

Where did you hear about this?

 

[woodsroad]

But surely there are gradations. If I steal something from someone who was just trying to make a living, even a very generous living, I'm with you. But a tiny little shop, paying homage with a name, taken from a 70 year old book, from an author who's been dead for 50 years, whose estate is worth half a billion dollars? Color me less sympathetic.

Sorry, but what you are describing here is called "a slippery slope". While I readily confess to knowing nothing about this particular situation, I can say that knowingly allowing a copyright infraction sets a precedent that could end up poorly for the owner of the IP rights.

 

[Chalaw87]

Any word on when the newly re-named Middle Earth blends will be back at the Country Squire?

 

[pappymac]

Unfortunately, see the rewrite of “A Visit From St. Nicholas”!

Don't get me started.
The discussions about Santa and his pipes on various Santa forums and FB pages drives me nuts.
Talk about hypocrites criticizing those who don't portray Santa in the "traditional" manner while at the same time jumping on those who refuse to remove the lines:

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;

drives me nuts!