"If one is prepared to argue (as you apparently are), that Tolkien had no moral right to the proceeds of the sale of his books [...]" It is possible to believe

"If one is prepared to argue (as you apparently are), that Tolkien had no moral right to the proceeds of the sale of his books [...]" It is possible to believe that he had the moral right to the proceeds but only on the basis of the copyright policy that existed at the time he wrote the books. This doesn't mean you cannot at the same time argue that such policy should be abolished. In other words the Tolkien case is a red herring here.