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A curious story that's developing..

Disneyland Paris is reported to be at war with its investors over allegations it has paid out almost €1 billion in excess charges for royalties and licences to Walt Disney.

The resort, listed in France but majority-owned by the US media and theme park giant, has come under siege from Charity Investment Asset Management (CIAM), a French hedge fund.

CIAM, which is leading a cluster of activists, claims Walt Disney has siphoned off the cash and prevented the resort operator from making a profit — abusing the rights of minority shareholders in Disneyland Paris, The Sunday Times reported.

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Disneyland Paris said it considers all the allegations raised by the hedge fund to be "false and unfounded".

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Disneyland Paris has been profitable in only seven years since it opened in 1992, despite claiming to be one of Europe's most popular tourist attractions with more than 13 million annual visitors.

Anne-Sophie d'Andlau, CIAM's co-founder, told the newspaper that the main reason for the regular losses is that Walt Disney has overcharged for royalties, which are collected by the company in return for the right to use characters such as Mickey Mouse, Snow White and Donald Duck in the resort.

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/64338/disneyland-paris-at-war-with-investors-over-royalties-and-licences