Slesinger to keep Winnie the Pooh rights

The US Supreme Court has handed down a decision about who has the right to license A.A. Milne’s beloved characters, which have become a cash cow for Disney, among others. Milne’s granddaughter, together with Disney, wanted to strip rights to the popular children’s books from the estate of long-time Pooh licensee Stephen Slesinger, but they have failed to do so, as the new ruling indicates.

The Supreme Court declined to hear the case and let stand decisions by two lower courts that Clare Milne could not void a 1983 agreement renewing the Slesingers’ licence. In a statement, the Slesingers said they were “gratified” by the court’s decision, which “has effectively ended Disney’s cynical attempt to do a legal end-run around its legal and financial obligations to the Slesinger family.”

A Disney spokeswoman declined comment on the litigation.

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