The Licensing Letter

Disney

Licensing Litigation

Hollywood Reporter reports that Disney "narrowly preserved" a win against author Royce Mathew in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals over its Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The legal battle has been on-and-off for over a decade, but the current controversy centers around a release Mathew signed when he withdrew a 2005 complaint alleging that Disney had used his work. Mathew … [Read more...] about Licensing Litigation

Licensed Nominations Make Up a Quarter of Nominations for Daytime Emmys

This year's list of nominees for the 44th annual Daytime Emmy Awards are out, and 23 TV shows with current licensing programs have a strong showing—snagging one-forth of nominations overall. The winners in top categories will receive their awards on April 30 from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Here are the highlights: DreamWorks leads with 18 … [Read more...] about Licensed Nominations Make Up a Quarter of Nominations for Daytime Emmys

Who’s News

Open call Looking to hire or be hired? Contact our business development team to feature your listing on TLL. Just want to feature your new hires? Contact editorial. John Louie is Warner Bros. Consumer Products' new SVP Intl.; he is responsible for development and management of Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Canada across all categories of business. Ben Pyne, Disney’s … [Read more...] about Who’s News

M&A and Legal

Macy's and (now Sequential Brand Group's) Martha Stewart make up with a renewal of their 10-year partnership. Macy's is the exclusive retailer for the Martha Stewart Collection brand that covers over 1,000 SKUs. The partners were previously embroiled in a 5-year legal dispute after JCPenney made a deal for Martha-branded bed, bath and kitchen products as its exclusive deal with … [Read more...] about M&A and Legal

Collectibles, Preschool Snag Top Toys of the Year

Congrats to the winners of the 17th annual Toy of the Year Awards, hosted by the The Toy Industry Association (TIA). LEGO and Spin Master snagged three awards this year, while Funko and Mattel had two each. The Toy of the Year went to LEGO Friends Amusement Park Roller Coaster from LEGO, while the People’s Choice award went to Pop! from Funko. Seven out of the 14 total … [Read more...] about Collectibles, Preschool Snag Top Toys of the Year

M&A & Marketing

Disney looks to raise its ownership stake in Disneyland Paris to 85.7% after cutting a deal to buy the interest held by another Euro Disney investor, Kingdom Holding Co. The company plans to buy out remaining shares and invest up to $1.6 billion in the park to improve conditions, which has been struggling with attendance figures following the Nov. 2015 terrorist attacks in … [Read more...] about M&A & Marketing

M&A & Marketing

Disney looks to raise its ownership stake in Disneyland Paris to 85.7% after cutting a deal to buy the interest held by another Euro Disney investor, Kingdom Holding Co. The company plans to buy out remaining shares and invest up to $1.6 billion in the park to improve conditions, which has been struggling with attendance figures following the Nov. 2015 terrorist attacks in … [Read more...] about M&A & Marketing

Mergers & Acquisitions

Nine West Holdings enters into a definitive agreement to acquire women’s sportswear firm Kasper Group following its sale of the Easy Spirit wholesale business; the transaction is expected to close this month. Funko buys London-based manufacturer and distributor Underground Toys. Studio 100 acquires a 68% majority stake in m4e; the new group will bolster each company's … [Read more...] about Mergers & Acquisitions

Who’s News

Open call Looking to hire or be hired? Contact our business development team to feature your listing on TLL. Just want to feature your new hires? Contact editorial. Ben Cox joins Nickelodeon as new VP & GM ANZ. Cox is responsible for the day-to-day management of all Nick brands in the region. Sarah Levy is appointed to the newly created role of COO for Viacom’s global … [Read more...] about Who’s News