A California appeals court has refused to reinstate the case that was dismissed in 2004 due to misconduct on the Slesinger’s side of the case. The case originated in 1991 when the Slesigner estate sued Disney claiming they were underreporting sales. The Slesinger’s, of course, say they will appeal and plan to file a federal lawsuit seeking damages and to strip Disney of its rights to the Pooh characters. That, of course, would hurt Disney a lot, so I’m sure they’ll do what it takes to prevent that suit from having any legitimacy.
The Slesingner’s made the right choice in 1961 to pass the rights for the Pooh characters to Disney in exchange for royalties from the sale of Disney Products. There were times there in the late 90s and early 00’s when Winnie the Pooh was coming close to outselling Mickey Mouse. A lesser partner wouldn’t have made so much of the bear stuffed with fluff. The question is, are the Slesigner’s making the right choice now? (Read)