Middle-earth Enterprises, a division of the Saul Zaentz Company, owns exclusive worldwide rights to motion picture, merchandising, stage and other rights in certain literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien including The Lord of the Rings and
The Hobbit.
 
The Saul Zaentz Company acquired these rights in 1976 in an arrangement with United Artists to produce an animated version of The Lord of the Rings, to be directed by Ralph Bakshi. The film was released in 1978. In 1998 the Saul Zaentz Company licensed director Peter Jackson’s live-action trilogies of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Licensing inquiries related to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit can be found at www.middleearth.com. 

Please visit that site for Licensing Procedures and Licensing Contacts.

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