Lucasfilm hired Alan Dean Foster to write novelizations for many of it's movies. He was the ghost writer for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Approaching Storm, Alien, Aliens, etc.
Disney bought Lucasfilm. Now they claim that they bought the rights only and don’t have to honor any of the contractual obligations. Meaning they are now collecting money off the sale of his books. But they don’t have to pay Alan Dean Foster a dime because his contract was with Lucasfilm.
Thoughts?
Disney bought Lucasfilm. Now they claim that they bought the rights only and don’t have to honor any of the contractual obligations. Meaning they are now collecting money off the sale of his books. But they don’t have to pay Alan Dean Foster a dime because his contract was with Lucasfilm.
The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America have made public an attempt by the global entertainment conglomerate to withhold rightfully owed royalties to Alan Dean Foster, the veteran Star Wars author responsible for penning some of the franchises’ most important novels ............
SFWA President Mary Robinette Kowal, Foster first approached the guild in 2019 with an issue regarding a payment dispute, claiming that “he had written novels and was not being paid the royalties that were specified in his contract.”
Though she notes that “as part of our negotiating toolbox, we guarantee anonymity for both the writer and the publisher if the grievance is resolved,” due to the extenuating circumstances of this particular case, Kowal revealed that the party causing issues for Foster was none other than the House of Mouse.....
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“When you purchased Lucasfilm you acquired the rights to some books I wrote,” explained Foster in a statement addressed to Disney. “STAR WARS, the novelization of the very first film. SPLINTER OF THE MIND’S EYE, the first sequel novel. You owe me royalties on these books. You stopped paying them.”
Foster’s Star Wars novels are not the only books for which Disney is withholding royalties, as the author notes that “when you purchased 20th Century Fox, you eventually acquired the rights to other books I had written,” which included “the novelizations of ALIEN, ALIENS, and ALIEN 3”, a trio of novels for which Foster claims Disney “never paid royalties on any of these, or even issued royalty statements for them.”
All these books are all still very much in print,” Foster pointed out. “They still earn money. For you. When one company buys another, they acquire its liabilities as well as its assets. You’re certainly reaping the benefits of the assets. I’d very much like my miniscule (though it’s not small to me) share.”
The author also claims that the company wanted him to “sign an NDA (Non-disclosure agreement) before even talking”, with Foster claiming that “never once did anyone ever ask me to sign one prior to negotiations” and asserting that it was done “for the obvious reason that once you sign, you can no longer talk about the matter at hand.”
“Every one of my representatives in this matter, with many, many decades of experience in such business, echo my bewilderment,” he added.....
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