Or no Hobbits at all...

[Sauron the White]

The blog by Kristin Thompson titled The Frodo Franchise has a detailed account of all this.

http://www.kristinthompson.net/blog/?p=191#more-191

She points out that there are several versions of all thedifferent claims being made and its not clear at all what terms like GROSS, and EXPENSES mean to the parties involved.

I guess that is the kind of stuff that gives lawyers very broad smiles.

from davem

If there's any truth in all that it would be down to NL to prove that they didn't make six billion!

Would not it make more sense to state this in terms of a positive? It would be up to New Line to prove what their revenues were and what their costs were. The way you state it arouses all those old cliches about proving a negative.

In the Thompson blog she seems to say that the Estate is adding up the receipts of every single thing sold from LOTR films. I guess that would include ancillary licensing like clothing, toys, statues, games, cards and the whole ball of wax. It is not clear if the estate is entitled to a percentage of those sales or just the fees that were paid to get the licenses. Usually its the fees and not all revenues on ancillary items like toys.

Of course, if Tolkiens contract had the foresight to ask for what nobody else ever has gotten, then that really would be a stroke of genius.

As I have said from the start, I hope they get every penny owed to them.