I actually really hate it. Palantir does all sorts of stuff I disagree with; this is the first time I've heard of a company named Anduril though.

I want to enjoy my LotR as an escapist fantasy without being reminded of the American military industrial complex please.

I agree, it grosses me out. Although I always found it appropriate that Palantir is named after an object tainted by Sauron, which corrupts those who look into it.

The palantir lets the user see anywhere and communicate telepathically with other palantir users. Sauron didn't taint the palantir. He would simply overpower anybody who recklessly used one. Aragorn was able to use one and survive Sauron's mental attack.

I also hate it- Tolkein survived WW1 and would probably hate that military companies are looking to him for inspiration

Quite. I've read that his description of Mordor was based off his experiences from WW1. He was not a fan of war.

Granted..in the stories, the palantir caused all sorts of trouble (backdoor for Sauron to infiltrate the corporate networks..) so maybe the name is apt...

he gives the impression of anti-war but also anti-appeasement. The core of LOTR is about dealing with the threat once and for all rather than kicking the can down the road for future generations to deal with

If I’m not mistaken, the palantir was not accurate in its clairvoyance, right? Wasn’t it showing the black flag ships approaching Minas Tirith and caused the head of the city to flee when really it was Aragorn or the elves coming to save the city? Maybe I’m misremembering, it’s been a long time.

It was accurate but misleading. Aragon had taken over the black flag ships and sailed in those.

There is even more link. Anduril is founded by Palmer Luckey, of Oculus and funding the Trump trolls fame.

And guess who invested in it - Peter Thiel, of Palantir (among others) fame.

And his sister just married US House Rep Matt Gaetz.

There's Mithril Capital Management, the VC firm. Valar Ventures, another VC firm.

And they all share one thing in common; Peter Thiel as a co-founder or investor.

There's an area with great backcountry terrain for skiing and hiking not too far from Vancouver, it would make a great place to build their headquarters [0] (please don't...).

This is what happens when students (UBC) get the chance to name peaks... (There's another range not too far with Mt. Brew, Mt. Keg, etc...)

[0] https://www.google.com/maps/place/Phelix+Crk/@50.6216842,-12...

Karp would love that. He’s a huge back country skier.

He already moved to a barn in rural New Hampshire for that

Don't forget elf on a shelf.

Aren't Tolkien's proper nouns copyrighted?

Copyright doesn't apply to created proper nouns. They're too short. Maybe some extreme example might be considered copyrightable, but generally it's a work or creative design, something that has meaning in itself, that's copyrightable. A proper noun without context means next to nothing.

What is copyrighted is a character, or potentially a detailed fictional entity behind the proper noun. If you make a story about a character with similar identifiable traits to Harry Potter, for instance, that violates Rowling's copyright on the character. Even if your character isn't named Harry Potter, but using the same name would make the case super easy to win.

They could be registered as trademarks, but then the estate would have to show that the use of the trademark was confusing or deceptive. I don't see how it could be, unless someone believes we live in Middle Earth, or unless Tolkien's estate used those names for companies (which would have to do things, not just be paper or shell companies) or products. They'd still have to show that the other companies' use of the names was confusing or deceptive; if the estate's companies or products weren't in the tech space, that might be difficult.

I've always thought Palantir's name was particularly good.

The seeing stone lets you see things, but is easy to misinterpret if you're not careful. It is itself neutral, but can be corrupted for evil. Lots of power, but hard to wield. It's a tool and important for those who use it to understand the risks and account for them - to try to wield its power for good.

Good portion of Anduril C-suite is from Palantir and Oculus.

I wonder if they have to pay anything to Middle-earth Enterprises for using the names:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle-earth_Enterprises

https://www.middleearth.com

MEE specifically owns the rights to adaptations. Just using a name would not be related as far as I understand it.

If there is a "trademark" issue, I would think they'd need to work directly with the Tolkien Estate, who still own the original works. (Didn't original D&D use "hobbits" and have to change it to "halflings" because of the Estate?)

(IANAIPL)

hobbit, balrog, ent.

Not because trademarks, none are. But because courts have ruled if you use enough elements, esp characters you somehow are infringing copyright. Or rather, it is easier to cave and change your product than endure the risk and expense of long court battle.

Varda - "mightiest of the Valier and Queen of the Valar, was an Ainu and Aratar, responsible for situating the stars in the heavens above Arda". Company that works on space manufacturing.

The naming scheme is Peter Thiel's calling card

Most generals I talk to make some dumb LOTR reference at some point. It’s infused in US military officer culture.

Also, “The Cyber”.

These guys are all poli sci and religion majors who know more about fantasy movies than the commands they are assigned.

We really need to nuke our defense budget from orbit, starting with the officer corps, which is full of cowards, incompetents, and grifters.

As a counterpoint, the officers I know are critical thinkers, realists, and generally very capable people.

As a former infantryman, the officers I knew were about evenly split between these types and football players who clearly had a lot of help with their coursework.

Angry Staff Officer has written about LotR a bit: https://angrystaffofficer.com/2019/10/20/warfighter-helms-de...