MUMBAI: The Tolkien Trust (a UK registered charity), Warner Bros’ subsidiary New Line Cinema, and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. have resolved the lawsuit relating to the Lord of the Rings films.

The trustees of the JRR Tolkien Estate and HarperCollins had filed a claim in February last year against New Line relating to their profit-sharing in the highly lucrative movies based on Tolkein’s novels. The precise terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Christopher Tolkien said, "The Trustees regret that legal action was necessary, but are glad that this dispute has been settled on satisfactory terms that will allow the Tolkien Trust properly to pursue its charitable objectives. The Trustees acknowledge that New Line may now proceed with its proposed films of The Hobbit."

Warner Bros. president and COO Alan Horn said, "We deeply value the contributions of the Tolkien novels to the success of our films and are pleased to have put this litigation behind us. We all look forward to a mutually productive and beneficial relationship in the future."

JRR Tolkien is the world-renowned author of works including The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The Tolkien Trust is a UK registered charity that has made grants to charitable causes all over the world totaling over $8 million in the last five years alone.