Middle England unites to save The Hobbit

Neil Gaiman, Stephen Fry and Sir Ian McKellen are just some top creative names backing a campaign to stop a small English pub from having to change its name at the instruction of American corporate lawyers.

The Hobbit in Southampton, a late night entertainment venue and Traditional English Pub rolled into one, has been threatened with legal action by the Saul Zaentz Company, who are forcing them to rebrand by threatening what protestors describe as an unfair law suit.

The Saul Zaentz Company, who own the merchandising and film rights to some of Tolkien's works and have done for 35 years, are demaning the rebrand by the end of May, also threatening other British companies with legal action, including a cafe and a maker of 'hobbit houses".

"Obviously, it wouldn't be our beloved Hobbit if it weren't The Hobbit anymore," say campaigners, who have mounted a huge and now widely-publicised protest about SZC's actions. "Whilst copyright must be respected it seems as though this legal case is being put forward for the wrong reasons - the SZC had an ongoing dispute with New Line Cinema over The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films, and as a way of exerting their power over the legal rights, have started forcing small companies to rebrand.

"This is not right, and we can't just let this happen. We must unite to stop this!"

"I'd not sue, if you named your cafe or pub after something I created & owned," said Neil Gaiman on Twitter, prompting a conversation on copyright to which he is still as of publishing this news story, still commenting on.

A Facebook campaign page set up by student Heather Cartwright now has over 40,000 likes and the protest is being backed by Neil Gaiman, actors amazing Stephen Fry and Sir Ian McKellen.

"I am a part-landlord of a pub called The Grapes, notes Sir McKellen in a blog post on the matter. "So far no vintners' group has objected. That would be silly of course. As is this unnecessary pettiness. More Alice's Wonderland than Tolkien's Middle-earth. Harrumph.

"I haven't yet talked to Stephen Fry about his disapproval of this Hollywood bullying but I'm with him all the way. All the way to The Hobbit pub once filming is over in July."

The landlords of the pub, which has traded as The Hobbit for more than 20 years, seem to be a bit taken aback by the protest, started by their customers.

"We are in shock by the passionate and heartfelt support we have received," they commented on their web site. "Keep it up guys and thank you all so much."

The Hobbit Pub is located close to Southampton University on Bevois Valley Road. With its split levels,two bars, huge beer garden, Chef Bernie’s Caribbean BBQ and the very best live music entertainment there is something for all. "Popular with students, and like-minded locals, theatmosphere simply oozes from the bare brick walls every night as the pub fills to capacity," they enthuse.

The bars open from 4pm until 3am Monday to Friday and from 12 noon until 3.00am Saturday and 4.00pm until 2.00am Sunday, with musical entertainment every night of the week.

Punch Taverns, which owns the freehold to the building, told the BBC: "We are aware of the situation and are currently consulting with our legal advisors."

British company Visionary Media is also being threatened with legal action and has received "Pages of legal documents threatening us and our customers about out Hobbit Houses."

Also threatened is The Hungry Hobbit cafe in Moseley close to where Hobbit creator JRR Tolkein grew up.

SZC is not connected with New Line, makers of the Lord of the Rings feature films and the upcoming Hobbit film. SZC owns the rights to characters and places referred to in JRR Tolkein's stories and New Line licensed usage from SZC, who produced an animated version of part of the Lord of The Rings trilogy in 1978 and is also responsible for films such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus and The English Patient.

SZC's lawyers letters to affected businesses state that "only those who qualify for a trademark licence may use Hobbit and other marks registered by SZC" and that use of the name Hobbit "is likely to cause confusion, mistake or deception among prospective purchasers, who are likely to believe that your business is licensed, authorised, sponsored or endorsed by SZC". Use of the name, say the lawyers, "takes unfair advantage of, and is detrimental to the reputation of SZC's Hobbit mark".

Other companies have successfully defeated previous attempts to stop them using the hobbit name, including Wozniak Travel. 

• Save the Hobbit Facebook Group

• Save the Hobbit ipetition

• Twitter @savethehobbit

• Pub web site: www.hobbitpub.co.uk

Hammer Films Bray Studios Faces Demolition

Bray Studios - considered the spiritual home of cult British films and the home of Hammer Film Productions for years - could be turned flattened and turned into homes, unless a new campaign to save it succeeds.

Earlier this month, the Maidenhead Advertiser reported that current owners the Bray Management Company says the the operation - set to celebrate its 60th anniversary this year - is struggling to keep up with technological advancements.

Once the home for Hammer Film Productions, a planning application was recently submitted to the Royal Borough for repairs to Grade II listed Down Place, the site’s central building. The application notes that the studios, formerly used to provide offices and facilities in connection with the film business, have been hit hard by the economic downturn and are no longer a viable business - and hinted at plans to turn the historic site into housing.

Down Place was originally bought by Hammer Film Productions for use in their horror films, and then was gradually enlarged to become the studios that exist now. Films shot there include The Mummy, The Curse of Frankenstein, the Dracula film series and many more.

Other films and television shows have used the studios down the years, including a number of shows produced by Gerry Anderson such as Space:1999 and for effects work on various Doctor Who stories such as Frontier in Space and The Invisible Enemy.

The studios were sold in November 1970, but are still in use for recording, but, as a result of the current recession, faces stiff competition for business from nearby Pinewood Studios and elsewhere.

The plans to level the site for housing came to light in an application to replace the roof and windows of Down Place which were discussed and approved at a Bray Parish Council meeting earlier this month. The documents discussed revealed a further application is likely for extensive work to convert the site into housing.

Fans of Hammer Films and British film history have moved swiftly to highlight the threat, starting a Facebook campaign group, blog and Twitterfeed to raise awareness about the studios' plight,

"We quickly must look at the question of what can be done to help save the Studio," urges campaign organiser and Hammer Films expert Robert Simpson.

"In the first instance we have to assume that a huge volume of cash is needed - Down Place itself is in an unhealthy state of repair. It needs a large amount of work done if the Grade II listed building is to be preserved.

"...According to the information released Bray Studios is no longer viable as a business model - though we would suggest that the Studios need new capital investment to upgrade the equipment and allow it to compete once again," he continues. "The present owners clearly have no intention or desire to do that. Instead they see the chance for a quick profit in residential accommodation that will unburden them of their responsibility. Bray Management Ltd looks at the studios as property rather than a cultural landmark and facility.

"We are open to ideas and suggestions, and ways of raising funds to keep the studios alive and within the film industry," he says, appealing to Hammer Films fans and the wider British film community for support. "We want to maintain its historic integrity, and allow it to flourish. We want it to remain distinctive.

"Perhaps investors can be found with millions to spare on developing, upgrading and protecting the site? Perhaps there is a way we can find for a stay of execution allowing a campaign to build and find the resources before the site is compromised.

"...Bray Studios is a true independent studio space, and some fine examples of British film and television have been made here. Don't let that be destroyed."

Save Bray Studios Campaign

• Save Bray Studios Facebook Campaign Group

• Campaign Blog: braystudios.blogspot.com

• TwitterFeed: http://www.twitter.com/braystudios

Bray Studios Web Links

• Bray Studios: The Studio Tour
Unofficial guide to Bray Studios and its history

• David Rattigan's Bray Studio Guide

Comic Creators Ally against Human Trafficking

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
- Margaret Mead


Monday, 11th January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in the US. To participate, a number of comics creators including Heroes Inc. creator Scott Austin, writer Peter David and X-Men artist J.K. Woodward - formed the Comic Creator's Alliance - a group of over 80 comic book creators (both web and print) who volunteered their artistic talents to raise money and awareness for this cause.

You may not know it, but there are currently 27 million enslaved people worldwide - more than double the number of enslaved Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. UNICEF estimates that 1.2 million children every year are sold into slavery, most of it sexual. The US Department of Justice estimates 16,000 victims of human trafficking are brought into the United States every year.

Unlike slavery in the 19th century, what is happening today is happening in secret. So it won't end until awareness is raised, and people need to take a stand.

So here's what the comic creators - all listed here - did: each of them contributed an original drawing of one of their own female characters, and combined them into a single wallpaper image. The preview featured above is just a small snippet of a simply gorgeous montage intended to raise money and awareness for an important cause.

The wallpaper features characters from The Phoenix Requiem, Girls with Slingshots, Earthsong, Looking for Group, Shadowgirls, Marsh Rocket, The Uniques and three IDW Publishing titles: Fallen Angel, The Dreamland Chronicles and The Dreamer, and lots, lots more.

To get hold of a copy, all you need to do is donate to the cause via the CCA website and download this unique, once-in-a-lifetime wallpaper. The Donations Drive will last for two weeks, from 11th - 24th January and all proceeds will be split evenly between Love146 and Gracehaven House - two organizations working on rehabilitation of victims and prevention of this crime.

• To learn more about the Comic Creator's Alliance visit www.comicalliance.weebly.com.


• To learn more about the problem, visit http://love146.org/slavery. (Be warned: contains adult themes and actual accounts of sex slavery.)

Visiting Artists Petition Close to Target

The petition against the British Home Office's ludicrous restrictions preventing non-EU artists and academics from participating the UK's cultural life - rules which could affect visiting comic artists to conventions in future - is getting closer to its target of 10,000 signatories. When the campaigners reach their target they will send a delegation to 10 Downing Street with the petition.

"We're nearly there," says campaign co-ordinator Manick Govinda, but they need just a bit more help to make an impact.

"The points based system which replaced the far more flexible work permits will be a year old on 27 November," explains Manick. "We want to hand the petition in by that date to mark that moment when our freedom to invite artists, writers, poets, dancers, musicians, academics and intellectuals - professionals and amateurs - were taken away from us."

Very recent examples of barred entry included US artist Cristina Winsor, detained and deported for allegedly intending to sell two small paintings at a local arts event in east London;
US artist MP Landis, his wife and four-month-old baby, detained and deported for not having the correct paperwork (Glenfiddich Distilleries invited him for a summer residency); and Indian artist Anirban Mitra, refused a visa for the same residency opportunity after waiting for four months for a decision at great expense;

"The Home Office and the UK Border Authority need to get a sense of proportion," argues Manick. "Hundreds of community, amateur and cultural groups are being affected as well as big national arts institutions.

"We need to send a loud message to the Home Office that these ludicrous regulations need to be seriously reviewed and reconsidered.

"This petition has collected a huge breadth of voices from all walks of life, nationalities, political and religious persuasions."

If you haven't signed it, please do so via this link. If each of you signing can persuade a friend, colleague or family member to sign the petition then the campaign has more than reached its target.

Artist Visa System Protest Launched

The Manifesto Club, which campaigns against the hyper regulation of everyday life and supports free movement across borders, free expression and free association is co-ordinating a campaign against a new artist visa system introduced by the UK Home Office for organisations that wish to invite non-EU artists and academics to the UK.

Campaigners against the new rules argue the proposed regulations will curb invitations to non-EU artists and academics to visit the UK for talks, artist residencies, conferences and temporary exhibitions.

This has already seen the cancellation of events and of course could affect any overseas comic creators attending events such as the MCM Expo, the British International Comic Show and other gatherings.

"As professionals committed to the principles of internationalism and cultural exchange, we are dismayed by these new regulations," say campaigners.

"The system is costly to both the host organisation and to the visitor, and has already meant a number of cancelled exhibitions and concerts."

The campaign is led by Manick Govinda, artists' adviser at Artsadmin, and has won support from artists, musicians, gallery directors, academics and students. Together they are calling for the "parochial and suspicious regulations to be reconsidered, and affirm the vital contribution made by global artists and scholars to UK cultural and intellectual life."

A petition was launched with a letter in the Observer, signed by high-profile arts figures including artist Antony Gormley, Sandy Nairne, director of the National Portrait Gallery, and Nicholas Hytner, director of the Royal National Theatre.

Under the new regulations, all non-EU visitors now must apply for a visa in person, and supply biometric data, electronic fingerprint scans and a digital photograph. The Home Office’s 158-page guideline document also outlines new controls over visitors’ day-to-day activity: visitors must show that they have at least £800 pounds of personal savings, which have been held for at least three months prior to the date of their application; the host organisation must keep copies of the visitor’s passport and their UK Biometric Card, and a history of their contact details.

If the visitor does not turn up to their studio or place of work, or their whereabouts is unknown, the organisation is legally obliged to inform the UK Border Agency.

"These Home Office restrictions discriminate against our overseas colleagues on the grounds of their nationality and financial resources, and will be particularly detrimental to artists from developing countries, and those with low income," argue campaigners. "Such restrictions will damage the vital contribution made by global artists and scholars to cultural, intellectual and civic life in the UK."

The Manifesto Club, which hopes to achive over 10,000 signatures to its petition, is urging people to not only sign it but also write to their MP in protest.

"Tell them your concerns about the issue, and how it’s affecting artists, scholars and many other professions," they suggest. "If you have been personally/professionally affected give them a brief account of what happened and let them know that the points-based system could have a potentially detrimental effect on the UK’s arts and cultural sector, and it may affect local arts groups and festivals in their constituency."

• Sign the petition here: www.petitiononline.com/MCvisit/petition.html

• Help build support for the petition on Facebook

• Click here for more information about the campaignon the Manifesto Club site

• If you have been (or will be) affected by these regulations, please complete the Manifesto Club campaign’s online survey. This will provide a rich source of material for them to better argue the case and gain more publicity for their campaign.

• NCA's Fact-Sheet on the new regulations

Newspaper Cull in Manchester: Fighting Back

All right, this isn't quite comics, but it's definitely not good news if you're a comics creator who's ever used your local papers to promote events or projects like I have (our Morecambe Visitor kindly ran a two-page spread on Ex Astris when it started running in Spaceship Away).

Local newspapers, while rarely featuring comic strips themselves, are at least very good at giving a local voice to creators. Some, like the Birmingham Mail, even have a regular comics column, Speech Balloon, written by Paul Birch.

But many are in crisis: almost 60 have closed in the past 18 months, the victims of credit crunch and competition from online news and more particularly the huge decline in classified ad sales. Jobs are being slashed and behind the scenes departments (subbing, photography) merged as the large newspaper groups that have gobbled up all these newspapers seek to make savings.

Annoyingly for most of the local newspapers in question, if they were still locally owned some would be profitable and able to maintain staffing levels. As part of much wider groups their individual worth is just not being valued, especially by bean counters in the accounts departments of big companies such as Newsquest and Johnston Press.

Now, management at the Manchester Evening News group, which is owned by the Guardian, want to make nearly 80 journalists redundant - roughly a third of its editorial staff - and close all the offices of its Greater Manchester weekly newspapers, thereby depriving Manchester's population of its local voice.

These are savage cuts - the biggest of their type in the country - and an assault on local democracy that campaigners argue will tear apart the fabric of Manchester's community news.

There's now an online petition calling for the cuts plans to be dropped: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stopthemanchestercuts/ and a Facebook Group marshalling opposition to the cull.

The newspapers affected are:

• Accrington Observer
• Oldham Advertiser
• North and East Manchester Advertiser
• Rossendale Free Press
• Middleton and North Manchester Guardian
• Tameside Advertiser and the Glossop Advertiser
• South Manchester Reporter
• Stockport Express and Times
• Salford Advertiser and the Prestwich and Whitefield Advertiser
• Macclesfield Express and Times and the Poynton Times
• Wilmslow Express
• Trafford Metro News
• Rochdale Observer
• Heywood Advertiser

The plans would mean all weekly papers in the MEN group, from as far north as Accrington to as far south as Wilmslow, would be based at its Deansgate office in central Manchester. Journalists would be expected to cover their areas from Manchester and there would be nowhere for local people to drop into in their local area.

Inevitably this will mean that the quality of Manchester's local papers will suffer; journalists will no longer be able to get a grasp on local issues and will rarely, if ever, be able to cover council meetings or court cases - a role which is an intrinsic part of local democracy.

This is devastating not only for the staff involved, but for Greater Manchester as a whole, and is being fought tooth and nail by the staff affected, local Chambers of Commerce, councils and more.

If this kind of cull happens in Manchester, it will be a green light for other companies to follow suit.

Incredibly, the cuts are being done in the name of the Scott Trust, which was set up to safeguard the Guardian's liberal principles in perpetuity. Strangling Manchester's newspapers and so suffocating the region's democracy is not the way to go about preserving those principles.

• Stop The Manchester Cuts Petition
• Facebook: Stop the closure of Greater Manchester's local newspapers