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June 1, 2016

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Warning for Wanda after Snow White seen

WALT Disney is to “take action” after hearing reports of performers at Dalian Wanda Group Co’s new theme park in east China dressed up as Disney characters.

Snow White and Captain America were spotted at the official opening of the Wanda City park and entertainment complex in Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province, on Saturday.

The park, costing US$3.2 billion, is the first of 15 entertainment projects Wanda is planning to build in China. It includes a theme park, a movie park, an ocean park said to be the Asia’s largest, hotels and retail stores and is expected to attract 10 million visitors a year, Wanda has said.

In an e-mailed statement to Bloomberg yesterday, Walt Disney said: “We vigorously protect our intellectual property and will take action to address infringement.

“Our characters and stories have delighted generations, these illegal and substandard imitations unfortunately disappoint all who expect more.”

According to reports, visitors to a shopping mall at the Wanda complex were being greeted by a woman dressed as Snow White. Captain America and storm troopers, from the Stars Wars franchise owned by Disney, could also be seen. Among the products on sale were toys looking like characters from Pokemon and Kung Fu Panda.

However, Wanda issued a statement yesterday saying: “The products and performers dressed like Disney characters are outside Wanda’s new theme park complex, and all the business operators using these characters have been authorized by Walt Disney Co.”

It said media reports of copyright infringements were “seriously untrue.”

The complex had never used any Disney characters for display or promotion within its theme park, movie park and aquarium, it said.

Just a few days ago, Wang Jianlin, Wanda’s chairman, said in an interview with China Central Television that his company would make it impossible for Disney’s China venture — Shanghai Disney Resort is due to open on June 16 — to make a profit in the next 10 to 20 years.

He told CCTV that Disney’s “one tiger” in Shanghai would be no match for Wanda’s “pack of wolves.”




 

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