Court sides with Disney on Pooh Rights

[BigPigletFan]

Court sides with Disney on Pooh Rights




Tuesday a California appeals court declined to reinstate the case against the Walt Disney Co over royalties for its popular Winnie the Pooh character.

A Los Angeles trial court dismissed the case in 2004 brought by the estate of Stephen Slesinger, the literary agent who worked to popularize Winnie the Pooh in the United States on the grounds that Slesingers' legal team illegally obtained documents by trespassing on Disney property.

In 1991 Disney was first sued by Slesinger's widow and daughter, who claimed Disney had underreported sales of Pooh and owed the estate billion of dollars in royalties.

Sales of Pooh merchandise have generated more that $6 billion in retail sales in 2005, which Disney realizes a licensing fee.



More on the story: Reuters.

[Dustysage]

Re: Court sides with Disney on Pooh Rights

Wow. That's a big win for Disney. But this isn't quite over yet:

from the Wall Street Journal Online:

September 26, 2007, 9:05 am
54-page opinion, and a Bloomberg storyDan Petrocelli, of Enron fame (click hereSteven Mayer at Howard Rice.




Permalink | Trackback URL: http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/09/26/...spute/trackbac

[BigPigletFan]

Re: Court sides with Disney on Pooh Rights

Somehow as I read and wrote that.. I knew it wasn't over. "These are the appeals that never end..."

[BFJen]

Re: Court sides with Disney on Pooh Rights

So the big question is, how much has the lawsuit cost both parties over the last 16 years????

[IMAGINE]

Re: Court sides with Disney on Pooh Rights

hooray...we keep pooh

[HSM Fan]

Re: Court sides with Disney on Pooh Rights

Disney keeps Pooh FOREVER! (Hopefully)

[TheTexasKid]

Re: Court sides with Disney on Pooh Rights

One wonders what Charles Dickens would make of this case. As a jaundiced look at the British legal system, he wrote the novel "Bleak House" about a case that wound its way through the British courts for years.

As a billion dollar company, we know how Disney can afford their legal fees, but one wonders how the other side can afford theirs. As the legal fees for either side in this case, after all this time, must be up into the millions.

And one wonders, during all this time, did Disney ever put a settlement down on the table? And if they did, why the other side didn't pick it up? It would now appear to be the logical thing to do.

[Ride Warrior]

Re: Court sides with Disney on Pooh Rights

One wonders what Charles Dickens would make of this case. As a jaundiced look at the British legal system, he wrote the novel "Bleak House" about a case that wound its way through the British courts for years.

As a billion dollar company, we know how Disney can afford their legal fees, but one wonders how the other side can afford theirs. As the legal fees for either side in this case, after all this time, must be up into the millions.

And one wonders, during all this time, did Disney ever put a settlement down on the table? And if they did, why the other side didn't pick it up? It would now appear to be the logical thing to do.

I would hope that Disney would have offered a reasonable settlement to the Slesinger estate back during the early stages of this dispute. Still, the late Stephen Slesinger purchased the rights to Pooh from a likely financially stressed A.A. Milne.

If it was the author's wife and children that were sueing, I would side in with them. This because they would represent the creative talent and love that went into the story and it's characters. I fail to have much interest and sympathy concerning the wife and daughter of a businessman who completely bought/took the property rights completely away from Milne's family.

The Slessinger's made money off their coldhearted little busuness deal long ago. Let them appeal until the cows come home. It's only about money with people like that. I hope that Winnie Pooh Pooh's all over the front lawn of their mansion.

[Ride Warrior]

Re: Court sides with Disney on Pooh Rights

Somehow as I read and wrote that.. I knew it wasn't over. "These are the appeals that never end..."

Disney has done more to entertain youngsters and their families than anybody else could ever hope to do. I hope that these property owners get their heads stuck inside their respective bathroom "honey pots".

"This is the song that never ends..." :whistling