Disney's franchise strategy

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/business/secret-to-disneys-record-profits-franchises-113996.html

 

Don't get me started on Disney and their moneymaking shenanigans.

First they make sequels and spinoffs to their movies that have zero business being made.

Secondly, they go completely nuts over any IP issues, including C&Ds and threats of lawsuits over anything using Disney stuff without legal permission.

See, those two, I can understand. That's absolutely their prerogative and their legal right.

However, word has it that Disney may soon start looking to dictate where and when non-profit organizations such as the 501st may operate. So if they want to go visit sick children in the hospital or march in a parade, it has to be a Disney-sanctioned event.

Additionally, there's word that they may start cracking down on cosplayers and resellers across the board as well. This means that you would not see any Disney-owned franchise on the floors at cons anymore. No more Boba Fett. No more Slave Leia. No Buzz Lightyear. No Iron Man, Captain America, or Thor. No more lightsabers or original artwork. Nothing without the express permission of Disney, and we know that won't be cheap.

You can imagine what this will do to the cosplay community...

Basically, Disney is a cancerous growth in the industry.

 

Sit on your hands as you read this, or you will put a hole in your monitor.

http://dailycaller.com/2015/06/09/disney-blacklisted-displaced-american-workers/

 

Waitaminit... let me get this straight.

1) Disney has these IT workers.
2) Disney lays off these IT workers in the name of "restructuring," which almost always means cutbacks to save revenue or elimination of a section.
3) Disney actually hires more IT workers than they had before without offering those laid off their jobs back.
4) Disney blacklists the IT workers so they can't get another job with Disney even though their experience would be VERY useful.

Do I have that right?

Damnit, now I have to buy a new TV...

Crap like this is why I will never work for Disney. ZERO loyalty.

 

Maybe i'm just a *-eyed optimist (which i'm not) but I don't see them getting that extreme that they'd even try and ban people from dressing up at cons. It'd be the very definition of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. Plus, i'm not sure they have any legal recourse to ban that. Now, banning people who aren't authorized dealers from selling stuff - yeah. But, i'm not sure even that's legal unless they're selling knockoffs. I don't think they can sell me a legit costume (i.e. like buying it from anovos) and then ban me from being able to sell it.

I just don't see them being that stupid. That'd be the easiest way to get everyone to turn on marvel, star wars, disney itself, etc.

 

Oh I agree with you 100% that it would be completely stupid on their part and that it would, overall, hurt Disney in the long run. However, this is the same hyper-litigious company that forced a daycare to repaint their walls to remove Disney characters, even though the presence of the characters did not violate intellectual property rights because the daycare's income wasn't affected by the Disney characters.

Granted, for the longest time they have kept their litigiousness confined to strictly Disney characters and even that has not affected cosplayers unless it was an original Disney character (i.e. - Mickey, Minnie, Donald, etc... Snow White, Rapunzel, and other "Disney Princesses" don't usually count because they are based on preexisting stories).

However, from what I have been told by someone in the know (I'm not giving away their name), Disney has already tried to dictate where the 501st/Rebel Legion will be on a given weekend, even though it's an all-volunteer non-profit organization. Now the crackdown on cosplayers is probably speculation, and lightsabers won't really count unless it's a replica prop of one seen on-screen.

Given how litigious Disney is, though, it wouldn't surprise me if they come through and try to brute-force their will onto the public. What'll probably happen is that there will be such an outcry against them (especially if they mess with the 501st) that they will have no choice but to back down or face huge financial losses.

 

For years I've been wondering where the epic battle between franchise fans & corporate IP owners would eventually come to a head.

Disney-vs-the-Star-Wars-community will probably be it. Those are about the two biggest fish in their respective ponds.

 

That would just be stupid,even for Disney.It would be the sure quickest way to ruin their new IP. The outcry would be unheard of and even non-costumers/prop people would have a sour taste in their mouth. I just don't see it happening.


Ben

 

I suppose a corporate suit (i.e. moron) could float the idea. But passing it into policy should result in mass firing's at the highest levels. It's just beyond stupid.

They just going to pull all their licenses? As an example, if you buy a LICENSED Anovos costume, I can't see where Disney has any right to tell you where and when you can or cannot wear it. Period. If they want to come down on people making unlicensed stuff, that's another issue, but that's not what I took from the above.

If they were to try and bend the 501st to do only what they want, when they want, etc,id imagne massive backfiring and loads of articles along the lines of 'Disney hate's it's fans' etc..

Usually when companies pull this type of utter bs, there's a financial motive for it. NO WAY this move gets them more money. In fact, it guarantees them less.

 

All of this is my exact point.

IF Disney goes down this route, they could stand to lose a LOT of revenue and, more importantly, respect.

 

You are assuming a big corporation will default to a hands-off common sense position, valuing the public's goodwill over a tiny scrap of profit/power in the short term.

It might happen. But wouldn't go assuming it.

 

Well, as someone who closely follows the business which is Disney, what you describe is never going to happen under Bob Iger.