By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief Move over Disney; the animation house Kartoon Studios is launching its own franchise for the A.A. Milne classic Winnie-The-Pooh. Today, the global studio announced new funding and critical new hires for the franchise, saying licensing and consumer products will be a major aspect of the program. The rights to the Winnie-The-Pooh … [Read more...] about Kartoon Studios Launching Its Own Winnie-The-Pooh Franchise
Publishing
Dr. Seuss and Random House Reveal Authors for New Seuss Books
By Allison Watkinson TLL Reporter Dr. Seuss Enterprises and Random House Children’s Books have announced the first line-up of authors that will contribute to the Seuss Studios publishing program.The initial lineup of childrens' authors and illustrators includes Lala Watkins, Sarah Hwang, Jerrard K. Polk and Avani Dwivedi. Based on previously unpublished sketches and … [Read more...] about Dr. Seuss and Random House Reveal Authors for New Seuss Books
Moomin Celebrates 80 Years With New Licensing Partners
By Allison Watkinson TLL Reporter The Point.1888 has secured four new licensees for the 80th anniversary of the Moomin characters brand. The partners will join a large portfolio of licensees that covers a wide range of categories. The Point.1888 says it's thrilled to have recently added Blade & Rose (Infant Apparel), Licensed to Charm (Jewellery), Practical … [Read more...] about Moomin Celebrates 80 Years With New Licensing Partners
Penguin Random House Announces Publishing Program for Wednesday Series
By Allison Watkinson TLL Reporter Penguin Random House and Amazon MGM Studios are launching an extensive publishing program based on the Wednesday TV series. Penguin Random House LLC is a global publishing company that provides products across numerous publishing formats including board books, novels, activity books, non-fiction, picture books and more. Launching in summer and … [Read more...] about Penguin Random House Announces Publishing Program for Wednesday Series
Licensing Works! Introducing Wingfeather Saga at Licensing Expo
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief The Wingfeather Saga, the largest crowd-funded animated series of all time, will be repped by Licensing Works! at Licensing Expo. In addition, Licensing Works! will also be representing several timeless brands that have been licensing stalwarts over the decades. Those brands include Le Petit Prince/The Little Prince and Antoine de … [Read more...] about Licensing Works! Introducing Wingfeather Saga at Licensing Expo
Sesame Workshop Launches New Resources and Collaborations for Autism Acceptance Month
By Allison Watkinson TLL Reporter Sesame Workshop has launched new Sesame Street-themed educational resources and licensing promotions in celebration of Autism Acceptance Month. The branded Autism Acceptance Month educational resources are focused on the value and importance of animal interaction for children and adults on the autism spectrum. The new bilingual resources … [Read more...] about Sesame Workshop Launches New Resources and Collaborations for Autism Acceptance Month
Licensing Law: Google Faces Fines, Multibillion Dollar Lawsuit In Europe
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief The search and advertising giant Google is facing a double whammy of legal threats over its media activities in the European Union. In one case, Google was fined €250 million on March 20 by French regulators, who say the company breached an agreement to pay media companies for reproducing their content online. In the second case, … [Read more...] about Licensing Law: Google Faces Fines, Multibillion Dollar Lawsuit In Europe
Who’s News: Dr. Seuss Beefs Up Its Corporate Legal Team
By Allison Watkinson TLL Reporter Dr. Seuss Enterprises has promoted Nicole Gates to Vice President, Legal, and hired Mike Lancaster as Corporate Counsel. “I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside Nicole for over five years now, and I cannot overstate what an incredible asset she is to Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ executive team as well as to the company as a whole," said … [Read more...] about Who’s News: Dr. Seuss Beefs Up Its Corporate Legal Team
Scholastic Fuels Media Expansion With Acquisition of 9 Story
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief The publisher Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL) has signed a definitive agreement for a major strategic investment in 9 Story Media Group. The $186 million investment will see Scholastic acquire 100% of the economic interest in and a minority of voting rights in 9 Story, a successful Canadian animation studio. Scholastic is a leading global … [Read more...] about Scholastic Fuels Media Expansion With Acquisition of 9 Story
Three News Outlets Join Copyright Battle Against ChatGPT Owner OpenAI
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief News outlets The Intercept, Raw Story and AlterNet have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, joining the fight against unauthorized use of journalism by generative artificial intelligence. The organizations say thousands of their stories were used by OpenAI to train its ChatGPT chatbot to answer questions posed to it by users, essentially using … [Read more...] about Three News Outlets Join Copyright Battle Against ChatGPT Owner OpenAI