'JRR Token' Cryptocurrency Got Tossed In A Volcano By The Tolkien Estate
This story is what you get when a franchise known for going after those who commit trademark infringement meets an industry where folks pride themselves on their incessant use of terrible puns because so many are still stuck in the "lulz" trend of bygone days. Truly, the things we do with the time given us.
New Line Cinema
In a bid to get in on the cryptocurrency craze and also prove to the world that people into this virtual money cult are neither clever nor funny, some guys decided to use a couple of Lord of the Rings quotes and quips and also the author's actual name (sans two letters) to brand their data cash. "JRR Token" launched in August this year, with a homepage header that read "One Token To Rule Them All" because simply putting "My precious" at the top would probably have been too much of a self-own.
The site's not up anymore, though, as the Tolkien estate swiftly slapped the developer with infringement claims, starting with the domain name that they said could be construed as being connected to the writer of orcs and hobbitses. The developer, in turn, claimed that it was all done to parody Tolkien in good faith ... but also said that 'JRR' was actually meant to stand for "Journey through Risk and Reward" because we really live in a world where anyone can just make anything up and somehow demand others believe it/buy into it.
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But such reasoning was to be expected from this "is-a-parody-but-also-not" venture because their video endorsement — featuring none other than Pippin actor Billy Boyd via Cameo booking — made the bizarre claim that "Saruman was trying to unify Middle Earth under centralised rule whereas the fellowship wanted decentralisation. Cryptocurrency is literally a decentralised network."
Sigh. Some who wander are, in fact, totally lost.
Top Image: New Line Cinema
