Lord of Rings in profits battle

Film-maker Peter Jackson's production company has sued New Line Cinema over profits from the first film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Wingnut Films alleges in a federal lawsuit filed on Monday in Los Angeles that New Line and subsidiary Katja Motion Pictures failed to properly calculate revenue - including money from DVD sales - from 2001's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

The lawsuit doesn't give a specific amount sought in damages but claims the movie grossed more than $314m (€239m) in box office receipts in the United States and more than $556m (€423.8m) o verseas, plus revenue from video and merchandise sales.

The lawsuit accuses the studio of giving affiliates favourable licensing deals. It seeks a court injunction against New Line from reaching deals related to the film with affiliates "without first seeking the most compet itive and beneficial deals from unaffiliated third parties in a free and open market".