Disney & Trian Trade Languid Letters in Latest Fight

Disney & Trains Trade Languid Letters in Latest Fight

It wasn’t long ago that Disney and Trains were squaring off in the Supreme Court to decide on a highly-anticipated antitrust case. But now, what seems to have become the latest in an ongoing fight between the two massive corporations has become a lot more languid, and is now being played out through courteous letters, for the moment.

What’s Going On?

Disney, who has been a perennial powerhouse in both the amusement parks industry and the entertainment industry, is facing off against Trains, a large train manufacturing company, who is trying to break into the entertainment industry. According to Trains, Disney has been trying to block their progress on several fronts, including by leveraging its big-name intellectual property to favor their own projects and offerings.

The Courteous Exchange

The two companies have seemingly realized that the best solution to their dispute lies in reaching a mutually beneficial agreement. In order to facilitate this, both parties have been exchanging letters that are full of diplomacy and courtesy. As an example, Trains argued “We don’t believe it’s in the best interest of anyone to continue this dispute and we offer our hand of friendship and collaboration.”

The Path Forward

At the moment, it’s unclear what the outcome of these negotiations will be. Both Disney and Trains have publicly stated that they “hope to find an agreeable solution” and vowed to “continue to work together on a constructive resolution” in the near future. It remains to be seen how the two companies will work out the details, but it seems that both sides are committed to finding a mutually beneficial agreement.

In the meantime, here’s what we know about the dispute:

• Disney has a strong foothold in the amusement parks and entertainment industries. Its movies and theme parks bring huge amounts of revenue, and it also owns huge amounts of intellectual property. Its high profile, however, doesn’t guarantee it a spot in every industry.
• Trains is seeking to expand into the entertainment industry, but Disney has been creating roadblocks with its own projects and leveraging its big-name intellectual property to favor itself.
• Disney and Trains are exchanging letters full of diplomacy and courtesy. Both sides have expressed a desire to find a mutually beneficial agreement that works for everyone.

It looks like the fight between Disney and Trains has been put on pause while they work out the details of their disagreement. In the end, it’s likely that the two companies will be able to come up with an agreement that’s in everyone’s best interest. We’ll just have to wait and see. In the latest installment of the ongoing dispute between The Walt Disney Company and the entertainment giant’s former animation chief, Roy E. Disney, the two parties have exchanged what can only be described as languid letters as they battle over a series of trademark and copyright infringements.

The battle between Disney and Roy E. Disney began when Disney publicly threatened legal action against Roy E. Disney for using their trademarked characters and images without prior consent. Disney then brought a lawsuit against Roy E. Disney claiming that his use of the Disney name and logo constituted infringement of the Disney trademark and copyright.

In response to Disney’s accusations, Roy E. Disney released a statement of his own claiming that his original art was taken from his personal collection and that he had not violated any copyright laws. He also claimed that his use of the images had been for the purpose of increasing public awareness about the rights of artists, and had never been intended to be used for commercial purposes.

In the latest twist in the battle, Disney and Roy E. Disney have exchanged several letters throughout the past month. The letters appear to be merely expressions of the respective parties’ opinion of the case, rather than any indication of a new settlement or break in the situation. For example, in one of the letters, Roy E. Disney stated that he “fully appreciates Disney’s rights and thus defers to your wishes.” Disney’s response to this statement was, “We thank you for understanding our position and remain open to further discussions.”

At this point, it is unclear when or if the parties will come to an agreement that is mutually beneficial, but the exchange of these letters does suggest a slight de-escalation of the conflict. It appears as though both sides are at least willing to communicate, rather than continuing with legal antagonism. Meanwhile, consumers continue to wait for a resolution that will end the lengthy dispute.