Affable children's character Winnie the Pooh has found himself at the centre of a legal battle as a film company takes on Disney for ownership rights to the bear and his friends.
In the latest move in a long struggle with Walt Disney over the rights to AA Milne's popular character, Stephen Slesinger Inc has petitioned the US Patent Office to cancel Disney's trademark registrations over the 80-year-old bear and other characters.
Disney moved immediately to block Slesinger's petition, saying in its quarterly report filed on Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission the petition duplicated Slesinger's requests in an ongoing lawsuit between the two companies.
Stephen Slesinger Inc is a film production company named after the literary agent who bought merchandising and other rights to Winnie the Pooh from Milne in the 1930s.
The company sued Disney in 1991 claiming the Burbank, California, media conglomerate owed it several hundred million dollars in royalties for Pooh movies and merchandise. Slesinger also sought to cancel its 1983 licensing agreement with Disney, citing alleged contract breaches. The case was dismissed in 2004, but Slesinger is appealing the dismissal.
This is wrong i have always thought that winnie was a Disney thing but hey you learn something new everyday
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