LONDON – The Wilbur Smith Estate and Leopard Rock Studios has hired ACF Investment Bank to handle the sale process of the intellectual property of the late South African author Wilbur Smith (1933-2021). Smith, born in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), wrote about colonial Africa, and lived most of his life in South Africa.
ACF brokered The Saul Zaentz Company in the sale of intellectual property related to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit to Embracer Group.
Smith’s work, which includes series in adventure and historical fiction, are known for their vivid descriptions of African wilderness and landscapes. Some of his most popular series include the Courtney family series, Egyptian series, and Hector Cross series.
Other intellectual property and trademark news:
- B. Riley Financial Inc. (NASDAQ: RILY) a financial services platform, announced it has acquired an equity interest in the brand Scotch & Soda through its participation in the recent acquisition of the fashion brand by New York-based brand management company, Bluestar Alliance LLC. B. Riley established a brand portfolio in October 2019 with the purchase of assets and intellectual property related to six brands: Catherine Malandrino, English Laundry, Joan Vass, Kensie, Limited Too and Nanette Lepore. They also participated in the purchase of the brands Hurley and Justice in November 2019 and December 2020, respectively.
- TV producer Shane Farley will lead the new Los Angeles Magazine Studios, a new division within Los Angeles Magazine. The studio was created with the goal of developing and producing projects based on new stories in the magazine and from Los Angeles Magazine’s archive.