After Disney purchased the rights for "Winnie the Pooh" to make a 1966 animated short film, the company conceded to a broad licensing agreement with Sears, Roebuck & Co.. Stephen Slesinger Inc.'s Pati Slesinger found merchandise that Disney did not pay royalties on. Slesinger then attempted to get the A.A. Milne Trust to abrogate its contract. In 1983, Disney paid Stephen Slesinger Inc. and the Milne estate to end the royalty issue and agreed to a new contract that lowered Slesinger Inc.'s royalty percentage.