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J. R. R. Tolkien coined a term eucatastrophe which is a hopeful and sudden turn of events - he coined it in opposition to catastrophe, which has negative connotations.

Now, we know the Tolkien Estate has always tried to keep a monopoly over everything written by Tolkien, to the point they once released a statement that no one can use his invented languages even though, to my knowledge, languages cannot be copyrighted. However, can specific terms and phrases, such as eucatastrophe be copyrighted? Can one use this term in any way they wish or are there limits to what can be done?

Thank you in advance for your answers!

Tolkien's Ring
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No

Can coined terms be copyrighted?

You can't copyright words as they don't fall under "original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic work, including illustration and photography" (https://www.gov.uk/copyright)

Can one use this term in any way they wish or are there limits to what can be done?

You can place a Trademark on words used in commerce, for example Microsoft, Google etc... However in order to Trademark a word it must be distinctive (unique or easily distinguishable from other phrases) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5c7d2d6140f0b603d660beaf/tm-guide.pdf.

If the term eucatastrophe can be proven to be distinctive, not common and not misleading then it falls under Trademark laws (thus cannot be used).

Jen
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RedHat
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