U.S. entertainment giant Walt Disney Co. has lost a court battle over the rights to the Winnie the Pooh characters held by Stephen Slesinger Inc.
A U.S. district court judge in Los Angeles ruled Disney had no grounds to challenge a licensing agreement struck with the Slesinger family.
New York literary agent Stephen Slesinger acquired the Pooh merchandising rights from author A.A. Milne in 1930. After Slesinger died, his widow struck a deal with Disney in 1961 to merchandise Pooh and his friends in exchange for royalties.
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