Warner in Licensing Deal: Warner Bros., its...

Warner in Licensing Deal: Warner Bros., its profit already soaring from fees for “Batman” merchandise, is teaming up with pro baseball in a licensing deal for Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester the Cat and other “Looney Tunes” characters. LCA Entertainment, Warners’ licensing unit, announced that it has entered the cross-licensing deal pairing the characters with the 26 major league teams’ trademarks. Looney Tunes baseball garb is expected to be in stores by the first of the year, with toys, statues and novelty gifts soon after that. Generally, the joint venture is to receive a royalty of between 9% and 12% on licensed merchandise, with the 26 teams dividing baseball’s share equally. LCA has been flying high this summer with fees from “Batman” merchandise.