The Katherine Jackson business partner and all companies involved settle the copyright dispute case with the administrators of MJ's estate for $2.5 million.
- Sep 5, 2012
AceShowbiz - It looks like everything is going right for Michael Jackson's estate. It was just August 31 of this year when the administrators of his estate settled a dispute with moviemaker John Landis and producer George Folsey Jr. Now, they reached settlement with Howard Mann in another copyright dispute.
The CEO of Vintage Pop Media, who's also Katherine Jackson's business partner, is now prohibited from using the King of Pop's materials which include unreleased songs, photographs, and even the book entitled "Never Can Say Goodbye" that was released in collaboration of Howard and Katherine.
The book is a 150-page recollection memorabilia of some sort written by the Jackson matriarch. The said book was discussed briefly in the contract signed by both parties, wherein Katherine was identified as the recipient and beneficiary party to the estate of the late pop icon.
Apart from the book, the federal judge also ordered Mann and his company to shut down their website, michaeljacksonsecretvault.com, as the said site violated copyrights that are controlled by the singer's estate. The said site has been closed since last month.
In a statement provided by estate lawyers Zia Modabber and Howard Weitzman, they are quoted as saying, "In light of the court's rulings for the estate on summary judgment, this settlement seems appropriate for all concerned."
The dispute was settled for $2.5 million. The terms of the settlement state that Vintage Pop Media is solely responsible for $2 million, while the other companies involved, all of which are under Vintage Associates LLC, are to settle the rest.
The late King of Pop, born Michael Joseph Jackson, has three children left under the care of his mother after his demise. She now shares a joint guardianship of Paris, Prince and Blanket with the 34-year-old son of Tito Jackson, TJ.
