Pooh's antics have been translated into more than 40 languages

Family owned-firm Stephen Slesinger Inc, which holds the US rights to the honey-loving bear, said its representatives' actions were legal.

The company receives royalties from Disney's sales of Pooh merchandise.

It alleges Disney has failed to pay $35m in royalties on unreported software and video sales of $3bn.

The retrieval of documents from Disney's publicly accessible trash bins was not a violation of Disney's rights Lawyers for Stephen Slesinger

Disney has rejected the claim, insisting that the products in question are not covered by its agreement with Stephen Slesinger.

The entertainment giant asked a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to throw out the case in February because Slesinger's lawyers - it alleged - hired investigators to break into Disney offices and look through the company's rubbish.

"Stringing together a disparate group of unsubstantiated accusations and expressing them in a tirade of inflammatory rhetoric and gross distortions of the record does not add up to a single proven charge," said Slesinger's lawyers.

They added there was no "competent evidence" that anyone broke into Disney's offices.

But they said: "The retrieval of documents from Disney's publicly accessible trash bins was not a violation of Disney's rights."

Disney lawyer Daniel Petrocelli said the evidence of illegal entry onto Disney property to steal documents was clear.

'Enormously wealthy'

Stephen Slesinger bought the Winnie the Pooh merchandising rights from the UK author AA Milne in 1929.

His first deal with Walt Disney was agreed in 1961.

"Disney has paid tens of millions to these participants," said Mr Petrocelli.

"They have become enormously wealthy because of Disney's ability to fully exploit this property of Winnie the Pooh."

The case comes to court on 8 May.