Money troubles. Paper shredding. A lucrative business. Sound familar? No, it’s not Enron. It’s a bizzare fight that’s been going on for years, but you’ve probably never heard of. Until today, the day some of the documents related to the case are released to the public.
Here’s one article that talks about, and there are many more on the Internet if you look.
In 1930, the Slesinger family of New York inked a deal with A.A. Milne to license the Winnie-the-Pooh characters for various things. Mr. Slesinger licensed the character to Disney in 1961, and was able to make the character into a lucrative cash cow…while paying royalties to Slesinger.
It’s those royalties that are causing the problem. Slesinger’s widow says Disney hasn’t paid royalties on things that didn’t exist in 1961, such as videotapes, DVDs, and computer games. The judge agrees with Disney since they destroyed various papers regarding the suit (including a box marked “Winnie the Pooh-Legal Problems”).
Can the Slesingers settle? If not, Disney will lose a mighty bear, as Mrs. Slesinger plans to sell the U.S. and Canadian rights to Pooh to another company if it isn’t settled.
Silly old bear…