On 14th October 2026, Alexander Alan Milne’s beloved fictional, anthropomorphic, honey-loving teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh celebrated his 100th birthday.
To celebrate Winnie-the-Pooh becoming a centenarian, Director of CIPPM, Prof. Dinusha Mendis was invited to speak to Radio Solent – on the booming media franchise surrounding Winnie-the-Pooh and the legal battles that have surrounded this well-meaning, laid-back, happy, yellow teddy bear. You can listen to the interview titled ‘The Price of Honey’ on Radio Solent, ‘Wake up to Money’ programme at 50.34 minutes.
English author A.A. Milne published his famous collection of children’s stories, Winnie-the-Pooh in 1926 and followed it up with a sequel, The House at Pooh Corner in 1928.
In 1930, Milne sold the merchandising, television and radio rights to an American agent and merchandising pioneer named Stephen Slesinger who spent decades popularising Winnie-the-Pooh in North America through toys, board games, records.
Walt Disney did not feature in Winnie-the-Pooh’s life for 31 years until 1961. In 1961, Walt Disney was keen to bring Pooh to the big screen. However to do this, Disney had to strike two separate licensing agreements:
(1) With A. A. Milne’s estate – to purchase the film and literary rights directly from A.A. Milne’s widow (Milne died on 31 January 1956); and
(2) With Stephen Slesigner Inc – who acquired merchandise, TV and radio rights in 1930. Disney licensed the pre-existing North American merchandising and television rights from Slesinger’s widow.
This allowed Disney to release its first animated short film – Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree animated short film was released in 1966.
Under the agreement, Disney paid twice-yearly royalties to the original owners.
However, in 1961, technologies such as videos, DVDs and computer games did not exist. In 1991, Stephen Slesinger’s heirs sued Disney alleging that Disney owed them billions in unpaid royalties from the booming media franchise, which they felt they should get a share of.
This led to a decades-long legal battle – which Disney ultimately won, after 18-years.
In 2022, Winnie-the-Pooh entered the public domain in USA, 95 years after its publication under the corporate publication rule. This means anyone can legally publish the original stories or create new works featuring the 1926 versions of Pooh, Piglet, and Eeyore – and can adapt, recreate, or monetise the characters and stories without asking for permission or paying royalties.
In the UK, Winnie-the-Pooh will enter the public domain on 1 January 2027—70 years after Milne’s death in 1956. E. H. Shepard’s original illustrations remain protected until 1 January 2047 (Shepherd died in 1976).
However, Disney still exclusively owns its trademarked versions—meaning any depiction of Pooh wearing his signature red shirt, or characters unique to the Disney films (like Gopher), remains strictly protected under Disney’s copyright.
