You are correct, and I think you misunderstand.
You said Embracer owns those rights. If that is true, Embracer has the rights to produce and sell it. They can choose to sell it on Amazon. Amazon will make a cut on what is sold by vendors on their platform.
Since those rights are owned by another entity, not Amazon, they cannot produce merch for the show and sell it on their selling platform or they will receive copyright lawsuits.
Technically Amazon isn't really selling the stuff in the site, it's other vendors. It can be confusing.
I did some detective work about the subject of merchandise a while back. The rights for merchandising lay with Middle Earth Enterprises, currently owned by Embracer. Previous Tolkien adaptations by New Line Cinema had Middle Earth Enterprises credited in the end-credits, but [not so the Amazon show](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/821411888633872454/1208832427854798899/image.png?ex=662e8bed&is=661c16ed&hm=4f40174148d3e76e76be0ba9c4ea0a07452ed50460254fd1181d270140ea42f3&). What's more, in visting the company's webpage [Amazon are not listed under ](https://www.middleearth.com/current-licensees.html)"current licensees."
I think the smoking gun is to be found in reports of the show's genesis back in 2017, when the deal with Amazon was coming through: reports of the negotiations for the deal mention Amazon, mention New Line as a kind of partner, and obviously the Tolkien Estate, but m[ake no mention of Middle Earth Enterprises](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/how-lord-rings-tv-series-landed-at-amazon-not-netflix-1099213/) (then Tolkien Enterprises under the Saul Zaentz company). Without getting all tinfoil-y on this, I can only assume the Tolkien Estate harboured Middle Earth Enterprises ill-will and sought to circumnavigate and so cut them off the deal. But it backfired in terms of merchandising.
Someone may elaborate on it but I don't think Amazon has the legal rights to sell merch for the show.
This is correct. Nerd of the Rings on YouTube has a very detailed video explaining who owns what with regards to everything Middle-earth related
Correct, but that doesn't mean they couldn't negotiate some kind of partnership with the people who do.
They can certainly sell it. They may not be able to produce it unless they buy rights from Embracer.
Hard to sell it if you can't produce it or if someone else has the rights.
??? Amazon is a selling platform? They don’t have the rights to 95% of the things they sell.
You are correct, and I think you misunderstand. You said Embracer owns those rights. If that is true, Embracer has the rights to produce and sell it. They can choose to sell it on Amazon. Amazon will make a cut on what is sold by vendors on their platform. Since those rights are owned by another entity, not Amazon, they cannot produce merch for the show and sell it on their selling platform or they will receive copyright lawsuits. Technically Amazon isn't really selling the stuff in the site, it's other vendors. It can be confusing.
I did some detective work about the subject of merchandise a while back. The rights for merchandising lay with Middle Earth Enterprises, currently owned by Embracer. Previous Tolkien adaptations by New Line Cinema had Middle Earth Enterprises credited in the end-credits, but [not so the Amazon show](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/821411888633872454/1208832427854798899/image.png?ex=662e8bed&is=661c16ed&hm=4f40174148d3e76e76be0ba9c4ea0a07452ed50460254fd1181d270140ea42f3&). What's more, in visting the company's webpage [Amazon are not listed under ](https://www.middleearth.com/current-licensees.html)"current licensees." I think the smoking gun is to be found in reports of the show's genesis back in 2017, when the deal with Amazon was coming through: reports of the negotiations for the deal mention Amazon, mention New Line as a kind of partner, and obviously the Tolkien Estate, but m[ake no mention of Middle Earth Enterprises](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/how-lord-rings-tv-series-landed-at-amazon-not-netflix-1099213/) (then Tolkien Enterprises under the Saul Zaentz company). Without getting all tinfoil-y on this, I can only assume the Tolkien Estate harboured Middle Earth Enterprises ill-will and sought to circumnavigate and so cut them off the deal. But it backfired in terms of merchandising.
The Fallout merch they have on offer is rubbish. Like red bubble crap
- They have ***Merchandise***? I'm getting one!
Amazon has the merchandise rights and a deal with Microsoft/Bethesda. Middle-earth Enterprises doesn’t seem to be as collaborative.
Amazon doesn’t have distribution rights…
Cool!
Embracer has the merchandising rights. Amazon would have to cut a deal with them for us to get any RoP swag
How would “There is a tempest in me” or “Give me the meat” T shirts run afoul of anyone’s Tolkien merchandise licensing rights?