The Last Homely House

Middle-Earth => Bag End => Topic started by: MR. Lurtzy on February 23, 2010, 07:00:36 PM

Title: Lord of the Rings Online
Post by: MR. Lurtzy on February 23, 2010, 07:00:36 PM
Does anyone know if there is a place online that I can read the LOTR trilogy plus The Hobbit for free? [-o<
Title: Re: Lord of the Rings Online
Post by: Cw0rk on February 23, 2010, 07:46:21 PM
It's probably on some torrent sites.

But... why not just get theses books at your local library?
Title: Re: Lord of the Rings Online
Post by: MR. Lurtzy on February 23, 2010, 08:03:30 PM
But... why not just get theses books at your local library?
I own them all, but I'm not at home right now.
Title: Re: Lord of the Rings Online
Post by: TelTura on February 24, 2010, 11:53:49 AM
Tolkien hasn't been dead long enough....to my understanding, for such things to be legally released into the public domain, under most laws the author needs to have been dead for fifty years...Tolkien died in, what, 1970?  that still leaves a decade or so before such a thing can happen.  And that's just for Lord of the Rings, I have no idea how it would play out with things like the Silmarillion, having technically been written by JRR himself, but edited and published by Christopher Tolkien.

so, yesh, a dive into the Dark Side of the Internet is all that can help you now....
Title: Re: Lord of the Rings Online
Post by: Kralik on February 24, 2010, 12:32:19 PM
Current copyright laws in the US are quite constrictive. It's currently something like the date of publishing + 95 years before an item enters public domain. However, because Disney is overzealous for their Mickey Mouse copyrights, they keep lobbying to extend the XX years whenever it's almost up. The consensus is that nothing after Steamboat Willie (about 1920's) is ever going to enter public domain in the US. :roll:
Title: Re: Lord of the Rings Online
Post by: Gil-Estel on February 24, 2010, 10:53:29 PM
he died in '73
Title: Re: Lord of the Rings Online
Post by: legolas3333 on February 25, 2010, 03:43:24 AM
he died in '73

wikipedia, right?
Title: Re: Lord of the Rings Online
Post by: Gil-Estel on February 25, 2010, 03:56:46 AM
No, by heart. I am somewhat of a fan you know, reading biographies and such....