5 ms·

It's just insane enough that I want to wait and hear "the other side" before passing judgement. Are there any other details that might have been left out for ex

It's just insane enough that I want to wait and hear "the other side" before passing judgement. Are there any other details that might have been left out for example that make it a less clear cut case of theft than what is depicted in the letter?

stanrivers 6y ago
Agree this sounds so beyond believable - will be interesting to hear Disney’s response
- stanrivers 6y ago
  To clarify - I'm saying this is a terrible situation and it will be interesting to hear Disney's side because it is so unbelievable to me that a company would just literally argue this line of logic without there being something we are missing. If there is nothing missing, then shame shame shame
marktangotango 6y ago
SFFWA is a well known professional organization, that has been around a long time, why would one not accept the gravity and import of this news conference and announcement? I mean, the details are plainly presented! Is any institution to be trusted or taken at face value? Are we all to be completely bereft of common sense and decency in face of such rampant equivocating and hand waiving! Splinter of the minds eye may not have been the best novel, have mercy please!
- sigzero 6y ago
  I loved that book actually.
  - webmaven 6y ago
    > I loved that book actually. I liked it too, Alan Dean Foster did some nice worldbuilding there (that ended up very non-canon) that you don't usually see in franchise novels. Another good example of this that comes to mind is 'Spock's World' by Diane Duane (though I think most of the worldbuilding there did become canon). The other ADF movie novelization I recall fondly is 'The Last Starfighter'.
vmception 6y ago
The other side is the question "is this news?" Everyone thinks their circumstance is "precedent setting" and something to pay more attention to than other things, but the question here being is it? You can buy assets without liabilities. There isn't something to find out... or is there? Yes, you and them just noticed that this could undermine all royalties by just shuffling them off to a shell company that has no ability to pay. But are you sure it hasn't always been like that? For example, many jurisdictions require a tax when a car is sold. But you can always buy the LLC that happens to own a car and no tax event occurred. The only point of this example - not as an analogy to this case - is that the feature was always present and it avoids a transaction. Could this deprive the state of revenue? Yes, yes it could, astute observation, moving on. This article and complaint makes it seem like it is groundshaking, but did the earthquake really come decades ago and nobody used their platform to notice? I am reserving judgement on the legal side for that purpose. Can we shame Disney for taking that approach, sure. But attempting to get a reputable legal advocacy foundation involved for a reality that already has existed for an unknown amount of time seems like misdirection.
- michaelmrose 6y ago
  Please provide some precedents for shedding liabilities while retaining assets.
  - cool_dude85 6y ago
    There are some tricks. "Spin off" a new company with all your pension liabilities and your unprofitable assets, whaddaya know, the new company goes bankrupt. Then the courts can give the pensioners a haircut since the debt they're owed isn't secured. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-patriot-bankruptcy/bankrupt-patriot-coal-asks-court-to-slash-union-pensions-idUSBRE93S09B20130429 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-patriot-bankruptcy/bankru...
    - michaelmrose 6y ago
      Peabody may have spun off unprofitable operations and let them crash but how did it sepate assets and liabilities for the same operation?

stanrivers 6y ago

Agree this sounds so beyond believable - will be interesting to hear Disney’s response

stanrivers 6y ago
To clarify - I'm saying this is a terrible situation and it will be interesting to hear Disney's side because it is so unbelievable to me that a company would just literally argue this line of logic without there being something we are missing. If there is nothing missing, then shame shame shame

marktangotango 6y ago

SFFWA is a well known professional organization, that has been around a long time, why would one not accept the gravity and import of this news conference and announcement? I mean, the details are plainly presented! Is any institution to be trusted or taken at face value? Are we all to be completely bereft of common sense and decency in face of such rampant equivocating and hand waiving! Splinter of the minds eye may not have been the best novel, have mercy please!

sigzero 6y ago
I loved that book actually.
- webmaven 6y ago
  > I loved that book actually. I liked it too, Alan Dean Foster did some nice worldbuilding there (that ended up very non-canon) that you don't usually see in franchise novels. Another good example of this that comes to mind is 'Spock's World' by Diane Duane (though I think most of the worldbuilding there did become canon). The other ADF movie novelization I recall fondly is 'The Last Starfighter'.

vmception 6y ago

The other side is the question "is this news?" Everyone thinks their circumstance is "precedent setting" and something to pay more attention to than other things, but the question here being is it? You can buy assets without liabilities. There isn't something to find out... or is there? Yes, you and them just noticed that this could undermine all royalties by just shuffling them off to a shell company that has no ability to pay. But are you sure it hasn't always been like that? For example, many jurisdictions require a tax when a car is sold. But you can always buy the LLC that happens to own a car and no tax event occurred. The only point of this example - not as an analogy to this case - is that the feature was always present and it avoids a transaction. Could this deprive the state of revenue? Yes, yes it could, astute observation, moving on. This article and complaint makes it seem like it is groundshaking, but did the earthquake really come decades ago and nobody used their platform to notice? I am reserving judgement on the legal side for that purpose. Can we shame Disney for taking that approach, sure. But attempting to get a reputable legal advocacy foundation involved for a reality that already has existed for an unknown amount of time seems like misdirection.

michaelmrose 6y ago
Please provide some precedents for shedding liabilities while retaining assets.
- cool_dude85 6y ago
  There are some tricks. "Spin off" a new company with all your pension liabilities and your unprofitable assets, whaddaya know, the new company goes bankrupt. Then the courts can give the pensioners a haircut since the debt they're owed isn't secured. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-patriot-bankruptcy/bankrupt-patriot-coal-asks-court-to-slash-union-pensions-idUSBRE93S09B20130429 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-patriot-bankruptcy/bankru...
  - michaelmrose 6y ago
    Peabody may have spun off unprofitable operations and let them crash but how did it sepate assets and liabilities for the same operation?