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Disney Trades Person for Intellectual Property

Posted by Zonk on from the i-know-some-people-i'd-like-to-trade dept.

Dotnaught writes "Walt Disney Company's ABC has traded sportscaster Al Michaels to General Electric Co.'s NBC for cartoon character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. NBC acquired the rights to the cartoon through its purchase of Universal Studios, which itself gained ownership of the animated rabbit through a contract that Walt Disney signed early in his career. Having to sign Oswald away supposedly prompted Disney to create Mickey Mouse, a character he'd own outright. The company that bears Disney's name fought tooth and nail to retain ownership of Mickey Mouse when the cartoon character's copyright was about to expire."

3 of 152 comments (clear)

  1. Disgusting by eldavojohn · · Score: 4, Funny

    (AP) At the NYSE, soul trading closed down five and a quarter points Friday afternoon. The worth of an average human soul has plummeted recently to a value not seen since the great depression. Disney has been pioneering the movement of trading souls regularly for concepts, legal action or maybe just a few dollars more.

    Michael Eisner wasn't competent enough to comment.

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    My work here is dung.
  2. Oh man... by qw0ntum · · Score: 5, Funny
    I wonder what it feels like to know that you are worth a cartoon character?

    From the mysterious future: Al Michaels commits suicide; friends cite work-related depression.

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    'Every story, if continued long enough, ends in death.' --Ernest Hemingway
  3. Steve Jobs needs a rabbit for his Apple by postbigbang · · Score: 4, Funny

    The rabbit will live in the iPod. Oswald will read his Powerbook, to gain Intel. His ferocity will grow into a dual core personality. Although we're not sure what comes NeXT, we're sure that there's no need for pesky sports announcers, after all. They just bitch and complain.

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    ---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.