Disney wins Winnie the Pooh legal row

From the archive, first published Wednesday 31st Mar 2004.

Disney has won a bitter 13-year court wrangle over Winnie The Pooh after a judge criticised its opponents for lying, spying and stealing.

Relatives of Stephen Slesinger, who was given the Pooh merchandising rights in 1929, claimed the Walt Disney Corporation owed them $200 million in unpaid royalties.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has dismissed their case after ruling Stephen Slesinger Inc representatives had stolen confidential Disney documents and lied under oath.

Pooh author AA Milne lived at Cotchford Farm in Hartfield, near East Grinstead, and based his tales in nearby Ashdown Forest.

The Pooh books' copyrights were registered to EP Dutton but Milne sold literary agent Slesinger the merchandising rights in 1929 for $1,000.

His widow Shirley Slesinger Lasswell licensed the characters to Disney in 1961 in return for four per cent of the worldwide sales revenues.

A new deal in 1983 cut the Slesinger royalties to two per cent but in 1991 she and daughter Patricia claimed Disney owed $200 million in royalties. They also wanted to be rewarded for videos, DVDs and software.

The Pooh franchise, including movies, toys, books and clothes, is now estimated to be worth $36 billion.

The Slesingers vowed to appeal, saying: "This decision unfortunately sends a strong message to corporate America that it is okay for companies like Disney to steal and renege on contractual promises."

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