Paddington causes a sticky situation in the High Court
IT IS the kind of situation that might have prompted Paddington Bear to deploy the simple but effective stratagem taught to him by his Aunt Lucy – that of “a hard stare”.
After all, this could have been just what was needed to resolve a bitter legal dispute between his creator’s estate and the family of the producer who made him a television favourite.
The row over royalties stemming from a “gentleman’s agreement” brokered between Michael Bond, the author of the Paddington books, and Graham Clutterbuck, the producer of the Paddington television show, has now gone all the way to the High Court.
Under the agreement, Mr Bond had agreed to hand over 10 per cent of all future worldwide merchandise royalties to Mr Clutterbuck, with whom he launched the animated children’s TV show in 1976.
But with both men now dead, his son Michael Clutterbuck has found himself locked in a row with Mr Bond’s former business Paddington and Company Ltd over the amount of the continuing payments.
Lawyers for Mr Clutterbuck’s company, Pixdene Ltd, say they have grown increasingly concerned about the level of payments in recent years, having received only £30,000 a year on average since 2016 – despite Paddington’s popularity soaring with the release of the recent films.
Following lengthy deliberations in the High Court, Pixdene has now been given permission to send independent auditors into Paddington and Company to inspect the royalties accounts in order to determine whether enough has been paid.
Although no figures have been put on the potential sums at stake in the dispute, Pixdene’s lawyers say the figures might be “substantial”, with the worldwide market for Paddington merchandise reported in 2017 to be worth £5 million.
However, Paddington and Co Ltd says the sums already being paid to Pixdene are correct and in line with the agreement.
Mr Clutterbuck’s lawyer, Philip Roberts KC, said: “Pixdene became increasingly concerned that the amounts it receives from Paddington do not reflect the enormous commercial success of Paddington Bear, particularly following the release of Paddington 2, one of the highest-grossing films of 2017.”
The bear from “deepest darkest Peru” has been a favourite of children and adults worldwide since 1958, when the first of Mr Bond’s 20 books was published.