Nick Locarno/Tom Paris

[Iamnotspock]

Besides, this is nothing compared to what goes on on British television. The people who created all the various aliens on Doctor Who actually own those aliens and are required to be paid whenever the show uses those aliens. Whether it's as prominent as the Daleks or as obscure as the Macra.

Not exactly.

It's the same situation as in US TV, it's just that Doctor Who happens to feature a lot of iconic aliens that were created by freelancers as opposed to staff writers, and the BBC is more willing to pay for them. While the likes of the Daleks and the Cybermen are still owned by the estates of their creators and have royalties paid for their usage (even the theme tune is published by Warner Chappell and paid for for its use in every episode), other staff-created elements such as the Master and UNIT come as part and parcel of the series' rights.