'Hobbit' house renamed after threat of lawsuit from entertainment company

The owner of a British Columbia Airbnbproperty paying tribute to the fantasy race of hobbits fromThe Lord of the Ringshas been forced to change the name of herproperty after being threatened with a lawsuit.

Christina Le Comte bought the Hobbit Mountain Hole in 2020 aspart of a larger purchase of a ranch in B.C.'s Thompson Okanaganarea.

She alleges Warner Bros., the entertainment company thatdistributed the Hobbit movie series, contacted her last weekthreatening to launch a lawsuit if she didn't change the name.

Warner Bros. did not immediately return a request for comment.

The property has now been renamed the Second BreakfastHideaway, a nod to a Hobbit's love of meals, and Le Comte hopes thatis enough to dissuade the entertainment giant from pursuing legalaction.

She says people rent the property to escape from the stress ofday-to-day life.

"It really gives people a place to disconnect,'' she said Sunday."It's not just people who come here who are hugeLord of the Ringsfans, it's people who want to come and have anescape.''

The house is built into the earth, much like the famous Bag Endhome in the movie and film series, and features furniture anddecorations inspired by the fantasy series.

The property sits on a ranch owned by Le Comte and her husband,with no one else around for several kilometres, which Le Comte saysadds to the sense of escape.

But she said once the threat of a lawsuit was found to begenuine, she knew she had to change the name of her rental property.

"There's no way in the world I can take on these guys,'' shesaid.

Le Comte said she will be contacting Warner Bros. to inform it ofthe name change in the coming days.