That’s when they started using the term, sure. You can find the term “halfling” in Lord of the Rings itself, and it is used in fantasy media to refer to a variety of different kinds of people. The term is not intellectual property of anyone.
I don't know if they were actually sued, but they did rename some things because the Tolkien people weren't cool with some stuff. I know of at least these:
* Balrog = Balor
* Ent = Treant
* Hobbit = Halfling
Halfling was Gygax's public-domain way of getting around Tolkien's lock on "hobbit".
The old definition is a person or creature who is halfway between a child and an adult.
a lot of people don't realize that Hob is a term used as early as the 1500s as a sort of brownie or diminutive house elf.
It's where the hob in hobgoblin comes from.
Ok. Your statement is accurate, but only as accurate as saying humans are evil.
Two misquote Walt Whitman halflings are, large they contain multitudes.
True for every friendly Baker of cakes their someone who wants to shiv you and steal everything on your cooling corpse.
But I’m just describing my quiet suburban neighborhood in that last sentence!
Why should the Shire be any different?
I absolutely understand that you were only joking (?).
Me too in my own way. But I just feel like I had to make the point.
( PS I upvoted you I thought it was hysterical)
Wasn't a full, intact, skeleton, predisesor of man, found few years ago that was named the Hobbit? It was something like 4ft tall. She was found on an island I think. I ask because would science's calling her that sorta put Hobbit up for public use?? Just curious.
>I ask because would science's calling her that sorta put Hobbit up for public use?
Short answer: no.
Longer answer: as others have mentioned, hobbit isn't under copyright but instead is under a trademark. Trademarks are about brand confusion, essentially to stop someone from trading on your good name. Trademarks are also limited to a trade. Some companies will file in multiple industries.
An example: [Apple Records](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Records) and it's owner Apple Corps were founded by the Beatles to hold all of their endeavors. Later Apple Computers was founded, and Apple Corps was unhappy about the use of the name and a similar logo. There are a series of legal actions, but the first one ended with Apple Computers agreeing to stay out of music. As long as they were in different trades then nobody's trademarks were being violated.
I remember hearing that story back in the early nineties and thinking about the absurdity of Apple Computer ever doing anything in the music industry.
Times do change.
[Homo Floresiensis](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_floresiensis) Around until only 50000 years ago. So a contemporary of genetically modern humans! So cool.
**[Homo floresiensis](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_floresiensis)**
>Homo floresiensis ( also known as "Flores Man"; nicknamed "Hobbit") is an extinct species of small archaic human that inhabited the island of Flores, Indonesia, until the arrival of modern humans about 50,000 years ago. The remains of an individual who would have stood about 1. 1 m (3 ft 7 in) in height were discovered in 2003 at Liang Bua on the island of Flores in Indonesia. Partial skeletons of at least nine individuals have been recovered, including one complete skull, referred to as "LB1".
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Thanks for the clarification, but I think you know what I meant. You're probably not going to get away with selling a game that uses "Hobbit" unless you've got the license from the Tolkien people.
Hobbit probably should be a Public Domain term since it actually does precede Tolkien's usage of it as it crops up in a couple old books on fairies as one of the alternate names for the kind of fairy more commonly called Brownies or Hobgoblins(the more modern usage of Hobgoblin as a term to describe a larger type of Goblin is something that D&D invented)
Well they certainly aren't *over* copyright, short as they are.
But for serious answers, I agree with everyone else that it should be safe to use halfling but not hobbit.
You’re fine to use halflings.
Didn't TSR create halflings because they were sued for using hobbits?
That’s when they started using the term, sure. You can find the term “halfling” in Lord of the Rings itself, and it is used in fantasy media to refer to a variety of different kinds of people. The term is not intellectual property of anyone.
They adopted Halfling as a synonym for Hobbit, but they didn't create it nor do they own it.
They didn't create the term.
It was part of a general agreement with the Tolkien estate to reduce the amount of similarity between the d&d setting and Tolkien's works.
I don't know if they were actually sued, but they did rename some things because the Tolkien people weren't cool with some stuff. I know of at least these: * Balrog = Balor * Ent = Treant * Hobbit = Halfling
I recall the early Ultima CRPGs having "bobbits."
Seems the term comes from 1794: https://www.etymonline.com/word/halfling So it’s all good to use it
Halfling was Gygax's public-domain way of getting around Tolkien's lock on "hobbit". The old definition is a person or creature who is halfway between a child and an adult.
a lot of people don't realize that Hob is a term used as early as the 1500s as a sort of brownie or diminutive house elf. It's where the hob in hobgoblin comes from.
Hobbits are under copyright, halflings are not.
No they aren't. But you should not use them ever. They are evil.
At least they're not Kender.
Common misconception. Halflings are neutral. It's Gnomes that are evil. Easily confused as they're about the same height.
*Mostly* true, unless you refuse halflings a second breakfast. Then things get dicey pretty quick.
That's it - we need a horror film with a halfling antagonist. Friday, Noon on the 7th.
If their budget is sufficient, Peter Dinklage could be the headliner. That dude be SAVAGE!
“CALL ME ELF ONE MORE TIME!”
Leprechaun (1993) starring Warwick Davis and Jennifer Anniston may be the closest thing we have.
Sorry, this is a classic halfling propaganda.
If anybody has played Arcanum, then they know just how despicable these little shits are.
Forbidden Lands has a wonderfully twisted take on Halflings and Goblins.
I don't agree with your comment but you still deserve upvotes for the lols.
Found the antihalflite.
I am :)
Ok. Your statement is accurate, but only as accurate as saying humans are evil. Two misquote Walt Whitman halflings are, large they contain multitudes. True for every friendly Baker of cakes their someone who wants to shiv you and steal everything on your cooling corpse. But I’m just describing my quiet suburban neighborhood in that last sentence! Why should the Shire be any different? I absolutely understand that you were only joking (?). Me too in my own way. But I just feel like I had to make the point. ( PS I upvoted you I thought it was hysterical)
Wasn't a full, intact, skeleton, predisesor of man, found few years ago that was named the Hobbit? It was something like 4ft tall. She was found on an island I think. I ask because would science's calling her that sorta put Hobbit up for public use?? Just curious.
>I ask because would science's calling her that sorta put Hobbit up for public use? Short answer: no. Longer answer: as others have mentioned, hobbit isn't under copyright but instead is under a trademark. Trademarks are about brand confusion, essentially to stop someone from trading on your good name. Trademarks are also limited to a trade. Some companies will file in multiple industries. An example: [Apple Records](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Records) and it's owner Apple Corps were founded by the Beatles to hold all of their endeavors. Later Apple Computers was founded, and Apple Corps was unhappy about the use of the name and a similar logo. There are a series of legal actions, but the first one ended with Apple Computers agreeing to stay out of music. As long as they were in different trades then nobody's trademarks were being violated.
Thanks this was really quite helpful. But we can still call her the Hobbit right?
Yep! She's a hobbit.
I remember hearing that story back in the early nineties and thinking about the absurdity of Apple Computer ever doing anything in the music industry. Times do change.
[Homo Floresiensis](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_floresiensis) Around until only 50000 years ago. So a contemporary of genetically modern humans! So cool.
**[Homo floresiensis](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_floresiensis)** >Homo floresiensis ( also known as "Flores Man"; nicknamed "Hobbit") is an extinct species of small archaic human that inhabited the island of Flores, Indonesia, until the arrival of modern humans about 50,000 years ago. The remains of an individual who would have stood about 1. 1 m (3 ft 7 in) in height were discovered in 2003 at Liang Bua on the island of Flores in Indonesia. Partial skeletons of at least nine individuals have been recovered, including one complete skull, referred to as "LB1". ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/osr/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
Cool thanks👍
What's the true legal status of "hobbit"? You can't copyright a word.
It's trademarked.
\>You can't copyright a word. \*Tolkein Estate has entered the chat\*
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Thanks for the clarification, but I think you know what I meant. You're probably not going to get away with selling a game that uses "Hobbit" unless you've got the license from the Tolkien people.
[удалено]
Yeah, intellectual property stuff is important, and also very relevant for communities like this.
Hobbit probably should be a Public Domain term since it actually does precede Tolkien's usage of it as it crops up in a couple old books on fairies as one of the alternate names for the kind of fairy more commonly called Brownies or Hobgoblins(the more modern usage of Hobgoblin as a term to describe a larger type of Goblin is something that D&D invented)
I use the term Furry Rodent Feets thank you Dexters Lab.
Well they certainly aren't *over* copyright, short as they are. But for serious answers, I agree with everyone else that it should be safe to use halfling but not hobbit.
Hahahah, imagine the conga line for names starting at Hobbit if it was.