SFWA re rights & royalties (Disney & Alan Dean Foster)

[Luke Everhart]

SFWA president summed up the broad concern in a tweet: "WaltDisneyCo argue that they acquired the rights but not the obligations to his novels. If a publisher can break a contract by selling it to a sibling company, this could affect every writer."

Statements from Alan Dean Foster & SFWA president Mary Robinette Kowal & a brief on the issue in the following link:
https://www.sfwa.org/2020/11/18/disney-must-pay/

[JRTomlin]

I would say it is unbelievable, but I would believe just about any act of greed by the Disney corporation. This could affect a lot of authors.

[CoraBuhlert]

I attended the virtual press conference and wrote an article about it.

What Disney is doing to Alan Dean Foster is inexcusable. Mary Robinette Kowal is also right, the potential consequences are huge. There are hundreds of Star Wars tie-in novels, 80 years worth of Marvel Comics, loads of X-Files tie-in novels (X-Files was owned by Fox and passed to Disney), the Muppets, The Simpsons and countless other properties acquired by Disney via various mergers.  Not to mention that other media corporations are just as bad or worse. What happened to Alan Dean Foster is likely just the tip of the iceberg.

[LilyBLily]

Disney's claim is outrageous. My hope is that this gets huge negative publicity. This is corporate greed and amorality of the worst sort. 

[Pemry Janes]

The argument that you can acquire the rights but not the responsibilities of a property or contract has some bigger implications. I mean, by that argument companies could avoid paying for just about anything.

It is, of course, disgraceful and only strengthens the argument that Disney has grown too large. It is a monopoly that needs to be broken up.

[Simon Haynes]

Just think how powerless the little guy was in the days before the internet. It has its downsides sometimes, but it's also a great way to make big companies discover a conscience.

[Lynn]

Disney will lose big if this ends up in front of a jury and Foster has a halfway competent lawyer. Juries love big judgments against greedy corporations.

I hope Disney settles quickly, for Foster's sake since he's ill, but man, I really wouldn't mind seeing Disney suffer. The way they want contracts to work isn't how they work, and I don't think any judge would see it differently.

[German Translator]

Now the Wall Street Journal is reporting on it:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/star-wars-novelists-seek-years-of-missing-royalty-payments-from-disney-11608393600



Star Wars Novelists Seek Years of Missing Royalty Payments From Disney
Book authors tied to big film franchises stopped receiving checks after Disney acquired Lucasfilm and Twentieth Century Fox

[LeonardDHilleyII]

Now the Wall Street Journal is reporting on it:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/star-wars-novelists-seek-years-of-missing-royalty-payments-from-disney-11608393600



Star Wars Novelists Seek Years of Missing Royalty Payments From Disney
Book authors tied to big film franchises stopped receiving checks after Disney acquired Lucasfilm and Twentieth Century Fox

Wow ... I've noticed for several years that Disney's deals have been shady and they cannot be trusted. It's sad and disgraceful.