Neil Gaiman, Chuck Wendig, Tess Gerritsen, Mary Robinette Kowal and other writers have joined the DisneyMustPay Joint Task Force in response to reports of Disney skimping on paying royalties to writers associated with properties acquired by the House of Mouse.
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America came together with the Author’s Guild, Horror Writers Association, National Writers Union, Novelists, Inc., Romance Writers of America and Sisters in Crime to form this group after Alan Dean Foster accused Disney of not paying him owed royalties for his Star Wars and Alien novels, as reported by The Guardian.
Since Foster's accusations went public, the groups involved in the task force have become aware of several other cases where Disney dodged royalty payments, mostly in regards to intellectual properties that the company has acquired through the purchases of LucasFilm, Marvel and 20th Century FOX. In one instance relating to Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics initially published by Dark Horse and then republished by BOOM! Studios following the Disney-FOX merger, BOOM! told the owed author, "Royalties don’t transfer."
The task force's statement on the matter reads, "Since Disney has declined to cooperate with the task force in identifying affected authors, the #DisneyMustPay Joint Task Force needs help to contact everyone who might be affected. The joint task members need writers, readers, and fans to alert authors who may be affected."
The "How to Help" section of the Task Force's website encourages readers to support the movement by using the hashtag #DisneyMustPay on social media and by purchasing works from affected authors that they do receive royalties from. It specifically argues against boycotting Disney over these issues, which it says would be counterproductive and disproportionately affect the authors.
Mary Robinette Kowal, author and SFWA President, says "Writers must be paid or given missing royalty statements; these contracts must be honored. We urge all authors to review their statements to make certain they are in order." Kowal states that Disney has thus far been uncooperative with SFWA's requests. The task force's FAQ notes, "Disney has been responsive to a handful of authors we have sent their way. Unfortunately, this Task Force has needed to step in several times to ensure that the process continues."
A Disney spokesperson stated, "We are carefully reviewing whether any royalty payments may have been missed as a result of acquisition integration and will take appropriate remedial steps if that is the case."
Sources: Writers Must Be Paid, The Guardian