Alan Dean Foster Says Disney is Not Paying Him Royalties for his Aliens and Star Wars work

Press Conference with Alan Dean FosterFacebook Watch

Apparently Disney is saying that they bought the rights but not the obligations that come with Foster's novelizations. It's hard to understand Foster in the vid cause of the audio quality but that's what it boils down to. This is now scaring the Science Fiction Writers of America because they say it could mean that any company can now opt not to pay royalties from a previous contract if they just sell the property to a sister company.

Splinter of the Mind's Eye Star Wars: A New Hope (novelization)Alan Dean Foster The Approaching Storm

LordRyus·11/19/2020

Now that is just a kriffing slimo move Disney. Pay the man for works you're profiting on and wouldn't be if it wasn't for Alan.

Alpha Mercenary·11/19/2020

As messed up as it may be that's how contracts work. Disney is in no obligation to pay him, the moment they bought Star Wars, everything related to Star wars belonged to them. Disney is first and foremost a company whose main priority is making money, not give it away.

LordRyus·11/19/2020

They actually kinda are... if they don't pay him other authors wont work for them. Authors stick together over things like royalties. It's literally how they pay their bills and as such they all freak out over the possibility of not getting paid one day.

It will hurt them far more in the long run to be cheapasses, then to pay Alan the little bit of money he's owed.

(Edited by LordRyus)

Kingsman28·11/19/2020

^^But apparently Disney's interpretation is not how contracts work, according to Foster's representatives here. Disney had the opportunity to offer him a new contract if they wanted, but US Federal Law states that both the rights and the obligations carry over when the company acquires the contract. Disney seems to be trying to set a new precedent here.

(Edited by Kingsman28)

What do you think?