Bruno Concina vs. Disney?

[Botto Armando]

Timo & Ole wrote:
>> Could some Italian Disney fan here give some detailed info on this
feud between Disney creator Concina and Italian Disney publisher? What
is it about, pay, royalties, or what? I know there's been friction
between Disney and Italian Cartoon Worker's Union (Sindacato Italiano
Lavoratori del Fumetto Silf-Cgil) for years by now.
> No Italian friends out there who wants to elaborate on this new
development with the letter and all?

Well, the matter is a bit complicated. I'll try to summarize the bare
facts (I don't know Concina and I'm not linked to Disney Italia in any
way, so all I know comes from reading Concina's public letters).

Concina writes that it all started when Disney Italia decided a drastic
cut in the production of stories, because of a huge backlog of stories
produced in the previous years but not yet published. 
On December 17th, Concina was told (on the phone, by a Disney Italia
editor) that he would be asked only two stories between January and
October 2008.
He found the offer ridiculous, turned it down promptly, and wrote a
letter to 15 members of the Disney Italia staff (including the director
of "Topolino", Valentina De Poli) in which he complained about being
treated that way after 30 years of honored service.

Nobody from Disney Italia answered him, so on January 22nd he decided to
make that letter public, adding a detailed explanation of his reasons
for being angry at Disney Italia. In particular, he wrote about a
meeting between Disney Italia managers and artists that took place in
1989, during which the (then) President of the company promised
(verbally) that each artist would be granted rights on reprints of his
stories - a promise that was later denied by Disney Italia. He also
complained about the deterioration of relationships between the artists
and the Disney Italia editors, who (in Concina's view) exercise their
editing power in a random, arbitrary fashion.

No reply arrived from Disney Italia (even though a heated debate arised
on the web, to which a few artists contributed), so Concina wrote a
second public letter. In this letter, Concina complains about Disney
Italia's persisting silence, proposes a boycott of Disney Italia's
publications, and asks for support in the legal battle he's going to
fight against his former publisher (even though he's aware of having
little chances to win; his second letter is titled "the Dwarf vs. the
Giant").

That's the story so far. As far as I know, Italian Cartoon Worker's
Union (Silf-Cgil) is not involved in the matter - at least, Concina
makes no mention of them.

Ciao,
Armando