Mickey nabs Pooh's money

A 13-year court battle between a mouse and a bear has ended - in what could be the final chapter of 'Poohgate'.

Claims of office break-ins and stolen documents destroyed a court case between Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh, leaving the rodent with the rights to the honey jar.

Action was brought against Disney by the daughter of New York literary agent Stephen Slesinger, who obtained the merchandising rights to Winnie the Pooh in 1930 from British author AA Milne.

But this week it was claimed that the family firm Stephen Slesinger Inc hired private detectives to break into Disney offices, take 6,000 pages of documents from outside rubbish bins and fabricate paperwork. That was the straw that broke the bear's back.

SSI denied the claims but admitted taking some paper from publicly accessible dumpsters.

Superior Court Judge Charles McCoy, in California, ruled SSI's alleged actions 'threatened the integrity of the judicial process' and dismissed the case as punishment.

In a 28-page ruling, he described SSI's misconduct as egregious.

Mr Slesinger assigned Pooh rights to Disney in 1961 and they were renewed in 1983.

But in 1991, SSI filed a lawsuit against Disney, claiming the com-But Disney claimed the disputed merchandise was not covered by the early 1980s agreement.

SSI tried to get £380million in back royalties from Disney, plus damages. Had the bear walked, the corporation stood to lose up to £3billion in Pooh revenue.

Daniel Petrocelli, for Disney, said his client's position was 'vindicated in its entirety'. He added: 'It is all over. After 13 years the Winnie the Pooh case is finally over.'

But Bret Fausett, for SSI, said: 'Of course it's not over. We certainly intend to file an appeal.'