Posts Tagged: "pbs"

Bill Nye files suit against Disney, Buena Vista for millions in underreported licensing payments

In the suit, Nye alleges that Buena Vista Television entered into an agreement in March 1993 to promote, market and distribute the Bill Nye the Science Guy television series. That agreement entitled the owners of the show to 50 percent of the net profits divided four ways, leaving Nye entitled to 16.5 percent of the total net profits earned by the show… Nye first became suspicious as to whether Buena Vista was upholding its end of the agreement in July 2008 after Buena Vista informed Nye they had made a mistake in calculating a participation payment sent to Nye that April; instead of earning $585,000 in net profits, Nye then owed Buena Vista nearly $500,000. Since that July 2008 statement recalculation, Nye alleges that Buena Vista ceased making participation or royalty payments, claiming that Nye first had to repay the $500,000 before receiving future payments. Nye’s suit specifically notes that Disney failed to act in good faith to resolve the dispute when counsel contacted them about the issue.

Everyday Edisons Producer & Inventors Digest Publisher, Louis Foreman, Supports Patent Reform

Louis Foreman sent the letter reproduced below to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who is Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. As his letter explains, Foreman supports patent reform because “leaving the current system alone is not an opinion, nor does it benefit anyone.” Foreman believes the patent reform pending is a “significant improvement” because, among other things, it will lower fees for micro-entities and lead to because it will “ultimately result in a stronger patent making it easier for independent inventors and small businesses to attract start-up capital.