Michael Jackson’s Estate and Disney Settle Lawsuit
Micheal Jackson’s estate and Disney have been at odds since 2018 over the TV special The Last Days of Michael Jackson. Now according to reports, that has been resolved amicably.
Details from Rolling Stone
According to Rolling Stone, “Michael Jackson estate has settled its copyright lawsuit with Disney over the TV special The Last Days of Michael Jackson, which aired on ABC in 2018 and, according to the estate, used Jackson’s image and music without permission.”
Rolling Stone continued, “The matter was amicably resolved,” a rep from the Jackson estate told Rolling Stone Thursday. Reps for ABC and Disney did not immediately reply to requests for comment. Details of the settlement were not revealed.”
Variety Provides More Info
According to Variety.com, “The estate sued in May 2018, alleging that “The Last Days of Michael Jackson” engaged in “astounding” copyright infringement. According to the suit, the ABC special used portions of more than 30 songs and videos belonging to the estate, including “Beat It,” “Billie Jean” and clips from the “Thriller” music video and the “This Is It” concert documentary. The estate alleged that the producers never reached out for a license to use the material, and instead decided to use it all for free.“
A jury trial had been set for 2020 before the two sides filed notice last week dismissing the complaint due to the settlement.
Jackson and Disney Had a Long History
Michael Jackson was a regular visitor to Disney Parks. In fact, he starred in Captain EO, an attraction at Disneyland and Walt Disney World from 1986 through 1996.