COPYCENSE

“The one-time enfant terrible of the technology world has calmed down considerably en route to becoming a 50-year-old billionaire. But what hasn’t changed is [Steve Jobs’] passion for doing, and saying, just about anything to help create the kinds of products that consumers love. In the nine years since Jobs returned to Apple, his unique modus operandi has sparked broad changes in the world of music, movies, and technology.

“Now, Jobs is stepping into the Magic Kingdom. On Jan. 24, Walt Disney agreed to pay $7.4 billion in stock to acquire Pixar Animation Studios, where Jobs is chairman, CEO, and 50.6% owner. As part of the deal, Jobs will become the largest shareholder at Disney and take a seat on the entertainment giant’s board. His top creative executive at Pixar, John A. Lasseter, will oversee the movies at both Pixar’s and Disney’s animation studios. Pixar’s president, Edwin Catmull, will run the business side for the two studios.

“The alliance between Jobs and Disney is full of promise.”

Peter Burrows and Ronald Grover. Steve Jobs’s Magic Kingdom. BusinessWeek Online. Jan. 26, 2006.

See also:

Sheigh Crabtree. Pixar, Disney Draw New Animation Vision. The Hollywood Reporter. Jan. 26, 2006.

David B. Wilkerson. Analysts Cheer Disney’s Pixar Buy. MarketWatch. Jan. 25, 2006.

John Borland and Ina Fried. Jobs’ New Disney Role Raises Conflict Concerns. News.com. Jan. 25, 2006.

Philip Michaels. Don’t Fear the Mouse. Macworld. Jan. 25, 2006.

Charles Cooper. How Long Before Jobs Is Disney’s New Boss? News.com. Jan. 25, 2006.

Ronald Grover. Disney-Pixar: It’s a Wrap. BusinessWeek Online. Jan. 24, 2006.

CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the intersection of business, law and technology. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.