Where do you get that certainty from? Lucasfilm owned all the rights to the Expanded Universe, including all work-for-hire novels. Disney acquired everything Lucasfilm owned, so they shouldn’t have had to pay any further royalties.
Do you have better evidence than this interview, where it was stated that Chewie dying was the reason?
I agree, but I can’t see it happening until they’ve milked this “timeline” dry.
I don’t know, but his death was the primary reason they killed the Expanded Universe. The merchandise aspect is my cynic interpretation, because the stated non-reason why it’d be a problem makes zero sense.
Should’ve just used the Thrawn Trilogy as Episodes VII through IX. But that would’ve eventually lead to
Chewie dying on Sernpidal
and think how much that would’ve hurt merchandise sales…
If you want to do the least amount of tech support: Fedora Kinoite.
How tf this even gets patented?
It hasn’t, yet, afaict. Applying for a patent != it being granted.
As to the latent question of why Microsoft seems confident enough to try:
Because the times of a patent requiring to clear a reasonable inventive threshold (to actually be a motor for innovation) are far behind us. These days, patents’ principal (not exclusive) purpose imho is so big corporations can sue each other to grab some of the others’ earnings.
Now do the same for generic/vacuous travelling pictures in a majority of womens’ dating profiles ;)