BRIEFCASE DISNEY DOES DEAL FOR ICE CREAM LINE.

Byline: - Staff and Wire Services

BURBANK - Disney is going into the ice cream business.

Disney Consumer Products, along with Wells' Dairy Inc., makers of Blue Bunny ice cream, announced Tuesday the launch of a variety of ice creams, frozen novelties and yogurt products under the Disney brand.

Gary Wells, CEO of Wells' Dairy, and Andy Mooney, chairman of Disney Consumer Products Worldwide, said the two companies are developing and marketing kid-focused, cross-category lines of Disney-branded ice cream, frozen novelties and dairy products under a long-term agreement.

All products feature an array of Disney characters, including Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh and Disney-Pixar's Buzz Lightyear, and will be available in grocery stores that carry Blue Bunny products.

Scheib hires firm to boost its value

SHERMAN OAKS - Earl Scheib Inc. announced Tuesday that it has retained a New York investment banking firm to explore ``strategic alternatives'' available to the Sherman Oaks company to enhance shareholder value.

Ryan Beck & Co. Inc. will act as the company's exclusive financial adviser, assisting its management and board of directors.

``By hiring Ryan Beck and its experienced bankers who specialize in middle-market companies, we express our belief that the company's current market capitalization does not reflect the true value of our strong position and opportunities in the aftermarket automotive paint and body industry,'' said President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Bement.

He said the company's ``solid asset base, including an extensive unencumbered real-estate portfolio, should provide strategic opportunities that would leverage this asset base and the company's core competencies to enhance Earl Scheib's long-term outlook.''

The firm, founded in 1937, operates 124 retail auto paint and body shops in more than 100 cities throughout the country. A wholly owned subsidiary manufactures paint-coating systems that are used by the company's paint and body shops and sold to original equipment manufacturers.

NetSol to reverse stock split, 5-1

CALABASAS - Information technology provider NetSol Technologies Inc. announced Tuesday that its board of directors has approved a reverse stock split in the range of a 5-1 ratio to 7-1 ratio.

NetSol plans to file a proxy statement regarding the stock split with securities regulators. Shareholders will also have the ability to vote on the stock split via proxy statement.

The information technology company declined 7 cents to close at 31 cents Tuesday on the Nasdaq market.

Borders to open store on Sunset

HOLLYWOOD - Borders Books and Music will open a 23,509-square-foot store in Hollywood this November, the Michigan-based company announced Tuesday.

The store will be located on the northwest corner of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street and will include a Cafe Borders coffeehouse.

The Hollywood store will be Borders' 30th in the Los Angeles market.

Judge says Pooh to royalty dispute

With copyright issues put aside, a federal judge Tuesday sent the Winnie the Pooh royalties dispute back to Los Angeles Superior Court, where the case has languished for 12 years.

U.S. District Court Judge Florence-Marie Cooper said her decision to remand the case was based on her May 8 ruling that the granddaughter of Winnie the Pooh's creator cannot regain the North American marketing rights to the bear and the rest of the Hundred-Acre Wood gang.

Earlier this month, Cooper found that Claire Milne - sole heir of British author A.A. Milne - cannot terminate the domestic merchandising rights to the Pooh empire held by heirs of Stephen Slesinger. The New York literary agent acquired the rights in 1930.

Because of that decision, Cooper said the federal copyright claims made by Stephen Slesinger Inc. - the plaintiff in the Superior Court case against The Walt Disney Co. - are ``dismissed as moot.''