Statement by Michael Ende's rights holders on the political use of the name “Atreju”
Statement by Michael Ende's rights holders on the political use of the name “Atreju”
In recent years, the name “Atreju,” a central character from Michael Ende's The Neverending Story, has been used by a political party in Italy for events and public appearances. We regularly receive inquiries about this.
We would like to make it clear that
Michael Ende's works belong to everyone.
They are places of inner freedom, play, and imagination—not instruments of political identification.
Michael Ende never wrote his stories with party political intentions. His work invites connection, not division. Culture creates spaces that people can share regardless of their origin, opinion, or affiliation. Politics, on the other hand, necessarily divides people into positions and camps.
For this reason, we consider the political appropriation of the name “Atreju” – regardless of the party in question – to be inappropriate and contrary to the spirit and attitude of the author.
However, after careful legal review by renowned law firms, we have concluded that neither German, Italian, nor European copyright law provides sufficient means to legally prevent the use of the name. Our requests to refrain from using the name “Atréju” have been rejected.
What we can do – and will do – is to stand up clearly and unequivocally for the original meaning of the work:
Fantasia belongs to everyone.
No political movement can claim it for itself.
We thank everyone who has brought this situation to our attention and will continue to do everything in our power to preserve Michael Ende's legacy as an open, humane, and non-partisan space.
The rights holders of Michael Ende's works.