European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 10, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Could Disney self destruct by Paul Richter los Angeles times it has been 79 years since a gentle Scot named John m. Barrie wrote Peter pan and 3vz years since the expiration of copyrights on the children s tale of fairy dust and faraway. But Walt Disney co. Has considered the Story its own since it created the first cartoon version and Disney was not amused last year when it Learned that lbs was planning a Peter pan cartoon show. Disney studios chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg lost no time calling Kim Lemasters then lbs programming chief and Howard Stringer the networks broadcast division Boss to Tell them that Disney did no to want anyone doing such a show. Katzenberg says he simply asked lbs to give up the series a if it Isnit of the essence to  other knowledgeable sources say Katzenberg threatened Quot All out corporate  whatever was said lbs quickly abandoned the show agreed to pay the producers a compensating fee and gave them substitute production work sources say. Mickey mouse had bared his Teeth and gotten his Way. In recent years Walt Disney co. Has made a name As the worlds most successful entertainment company a hugely profitable and innovative corporate juggernaut. But to some the master marketer of children s fantasies is also the toughest of Hollywood s Bare knuckle fighters a company that uses its vast resources and unique franchise to continually press its advantage. The critics see a pattern of bruising tactics in Disney s Many Battles. Disney has shown itself willing to take on other rival entertainment companies again and again in court and in the Market. They say the company has demonstrated that it is Ever ready to sue those it believes have infringed its copyrights even in cases in which outsiders find it difficult to understand Why Disney cannot find compromises. In its efforts to hold Down filmmaking costs Disney has faced off against Hollywood agents and lawyers with a toughness that sets it apart from other studios the critics say. And in Central Florida where Disney a economic Power has made it a great Benefactor the company has also shown that it is willing to stymie the plans of government and its neighbors a from mass transit systems to Low income housing a if those plans interfere with its ambitions. Disney executives deny that they re too Tough and say some complaints arise because the world does t measure them As it would other businesses. A we Are held to a higher Standard in every area Quot Katzenberg says in a prepared statement. A when we misstep a when we make an error a it can be blown out of proportion since it is not acceptable for Disney to Ever make a mistake. I think everyone expects us to be letter perfect. And you know what that s what we would like to  perhaps most prominent among the company s critics Are the Heads of some rival entertainment companies who have run afoul of Disney repeatedly in recent years and assert that the company has gone too far. Barry Diller chairman of Fox inc., for example says he believes that Disney s tactics Are an Quot Odd self destructive thing. That Isnit needed from a company that a succeeded As brilliantly As this one  Sidney j. Sheinberg president of Universal studios Parent Mca inc., says Disney a Wisn t just aggressive. They have crossed the  Disney a defenders a and they Are numerous too a say the company is no tougher than others in an Industry that has been known for an Eye gouging kidney punching sort of Competition since the Days of Louis b. Mayer and Harry Cohn they say Disney is taking the heat because it has tried to Roll Back Hollywood pay because it has outperformed rival show business conglomerates and because the Public expects not just fairness but saintliness from the creator of Mickey and Minnie. Quot they re Tough but in be found them to be honorable Quot says Larry Cochran chief executive of six flags corp., the theme Park concern that is 20 percent owned by the time Warner Media conglomerate Disney executives do not try to present themselves As Angels but talk about the special complexities of their dealings with other businesses. From where they sit a company As successful As Page 16 a a a the stars and stripes monday september 10, 1990