“The release of MERP into the marketplace will likely result in customer confusion and cannibalization with respect to such legitimately licensed LOTR/Hobbit games and will detract from the value proposition bargained and paid for by legitimate licensees of the LOTR/Hobbit properties.įurthermore, projects and games like MERP will diminish and erode Warner Bros.’ ability to manage and protect the brand, reputation and quality of the LOTR/Hobbit properties that it has invested significant resources to cultivate over the years.”
In the initial letter, Warner Bros claimed: lawyers first contacted MERP developers in July. “…will detract from the value proposition bargained and paid for by legitimate licensees” The petition has already gained more than 16,000 signatures. They are also gathering signatures from fans petitioning Warner Bros. They hope to argue that MERP is “fair use” because it is what is called a “transformative work”.
MERP’s developers are currently consulting their own lawyer from the Organisation for Transformative Works (OTW). Everyone works on this in their spare time.” “A lot of the team have kids of their own and businesses of their own, and some are still in school, college and university. “Everyone on the team is doing this because they love it,” Mr Hurst told. declined to to answer any questions for this article regarding the C&D against MERP, or about Lord of the Rings game-modding. VP of Public Relations Remi Sklar said: “While we appreciate our fans’ enthusiasm, we also need to protect our IP rights.”ĭespite requests from, Warner Bros. In a brief statement to PC Gamer, Warner Bros. “But the mod itself will be available to all the fans for free.” Mod developer Alasdair Hurst believes MERP’s main problem could be that people need to buy Skyrim first. Modders will often create new characters, character skins, plotlines and dialogue, music or even entirely new worlds for their favourite games. “Modding” is a term used to describe when users unofficially adapt or alter a game beyond its original specifications. first requested that the 40-person-strong development team cease all work on the project, called MERP (Middle-earth Roleplaying Project), in July. The all-volunteer, unpaid team of game enthusiasts behind the mod say they repeatedly attempted to negotiate a compromise that would allow them to proceed in some form, but Warner Bros. legal team has shut down the development of a free Lord of the Rings mod for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
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