Michael Jackson Estate Sues ABC and Disney for Copyright Infringement

ABC did not have permission to use music excerpts and footage for 'The Last Days of Michael Jackson.'

May 30, 2018

The Estate of Michael Jackson filed a lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company and ABC, which is owned by Disney, on Wednesday for willfully and intentionally infringing on dozens of copyrights owned by the Estate that were used without permission during the ABC primetime special The Last Days of Michael Jackson, which aired last week. The network defended the show’s use of footage last week by arguing that the special was a news show, and therefore the network would have the right to the footage,The Hollywood Reporter noted.

In a statement provided to Complex, one of the lawyers representing the Estate said that “Disney’s conduct here was particularly surprising given that it has no tolerance for anyone using its copyrighted material in even the most trivial of manners.”

“Can you imagine using Disney’s intellectual property—like Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, Star Wars, The Avengers, Toy Story, and so many other works—without asking Disney’s permission or getting a license? The Estate has no choice but to vigorously protect its intellectual property, which is the lifeblood of its business,” the statement continued.

The materials used without permission included excerpts of “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough,” “Bad,” and “Leave Me Alone,” among others. Disney also did not have permission to use images from music videos for “Thriller,” “Black or White,” “Bad,” and almost a dozen others or footage from Jackson’s live performances. Disney also illicitly used footage from the 2009 feature film This Is It and the Spike Lee directed documentary, Michael Jackson’s Journey From Motown to Off the Wall.