This is simply disgusting

[mdlbear]

I'm quoting this entire article because it's both short and appalling.

LACTON, England, June 23 (UPI) -- The Walt Disney Co., which had denied permission to grieving British parents to put Winnie the Pooh on their child's gravestone, has had a change of heart.

Disney had warned that a stonemason would be in breach of copyright if he included the bear's image along with "bear of very little brain," on the gravestone, The Telegraph reported. The parents had sought approval from Disney, but were rejected.

Stonemason Aaron Clarke said he was outraged.

"Disney make billions of pounds every year from children but they won't let a family put a picture on a stillborn baby's headstone," he said. "It is ridiculous. The family are upset enough as it is."

The company reversed course Thursday and allowed the parents to use the image. A Disney spokesman told the Telegraph the company is in continual communication with the family.

Yeah, they finally got pressured into doing the right thing. It's the fact that they had to be pressured in the first place that makes me ill. If you ever catch me buying any of Disney's Pooh crap merchandise, kindly hit me with a copy of this post wrapped around a clue-by-four. From Boing Boing.

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Hmmmmm....

I've always been a fan of Winnie-the-Pooh. Is it true that the older illustrations' royalties go back to the Milne estate (or whoever drew them), rather than to Disney? If so, then perhaps I shall furnish my childrens' rooms with the older stuff... or perhaps I can get Mother to give me what's already been bought....

[mdlbear]

I don't know what rights Disney bought; it might be interesting to find out. As a minimum they own the trademark rights and probably exclusive rights to produce derived works.

[jilara.livejournal.com]

This was on the radio just today. Apparently, the Milne estate lost a case where they were trying to get rights back from Disney.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Bastages. The other thing I can do is buy used.

No, I don't have any problem with sticking it to the Man when they're not giving the folks as put the toil into it (or their heirs) anything except a bad case of lawyer bills...