Oncoming Storm wrote:Disney (Walt, himself, for starters)
supported the Nazi party, before and during WWII; Walt Hated Jewish persons; and ripped off the Grimm Fairy-tales as well as ruined MANY stories and myths of folklore... (i.e. : 'Hercules', 'Aladdin', Hans Christian-Anderson's 'The Little Mermaid', 'Tarzan', 'The Muppets',now 'Star Wars', and 'Indiana Jones', ETC...) And produced all of those lame-ass musicals. THE Disney Co.
refused to pay any of its animators any royalties on the characters and designs and the stories that they created on their own...(i.e. : Hanna-Barbera, who left to create their own company when Walt refused to let them retain the rights to Donald Duck, Goofy, And other characters that THEY CREATED...)
The bit about Walt being a supporter of the Nazi party is blown way out of proportion. You can read more about this here at straightdope.com.
As for the part about royalties, we'll be on opposite sides of the fence on that one. This doesn't make Walt Disney evil ... it all just comes down to what was agreed upon at the time of hiring. I do not think that creative people should be entitled to royalties for anything they created while working for a company unless that was agreed upon when they were hired. They were hired for their creative talents and ability to come up with ideas that the company could sell. They shouldn't be entitled to royalties any more than a factory worker should be entitled to royalties for a car, toy or electronics device that they helped build in a factory.
Some companies these days don't even allow you to do paid freelance work and even go so far as to have you sign documents that say that anything you do outside of your job that is along the lines of what you do at your job is considered work done for the company. I was presented with some legal paperwork along those lines at my job about four years ago after working there for almost a year. I refused to sign the paperwork because I was concerned about the implications it would have on Seibertron.com. I was fired a week later and don't regret it for a moment.
Bottom line ... employees that are concerned about royalties should make sure they are entitled to them at the time of employment. If you don't secure your rights to royalties yet create something amazingly popular during your time at the company, then you are simply S.O.L. in my opinion.
Yes, Walt created Mickey Mouse, but that's it!!
He took advantage of the talents of many young creators and Animators...
And stole ideas and never paid for them!! THAT's just the beginning of How EVIL and tainted that company is...
He didn't take advantage of the many young creators and animators that WORKED for him as his employees. They were doing their job as his employees so that they could collect a paycheck to pay their bills, support their families and put food on the table ... just like all of us. That's not evil at all. That's just business. Plain and simple.
