The studio behind this holiday season's big movie release "The Hobbit" is being sued by the estate of late author JRR Tolkien.
An 80 million-dollar lawsuit has been filed against Warner Bros. over online and gambling games that use characters and plots from Tolkien's works.
Warner Bros. - who own the merchandising rights to the "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" brands, have been accused of causing "irreparable harm" to Tolkien's legacy.
The lawsuit comes just a week ahead of the world premiere in New Zealand of 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey', the first instalment of director Peter Jackson's highly anticipated new Tolkien trilogy.
