Michael Jackson Estate News (Announcements and Discussion)

Does the Estate assume MJ fans don't like Quincy? He's a legend.
 
Toby34;4289042 said:
Does the Estate assume MJ fans don't like Quincy? He's a legend.

What does being a legend have to do with Quincy Jones being a turn coat after Michael died. The Estate doesn’t have to assume anything- I do NOT like Quincy Jones, that’s not an assumption, that’s a FACT.
 
Does the Estate assume MJ fans don't like Quincy? He's a legend.

He WAS a legend. Now he is an old senile fart who insulted MJ many times. This atempt of money grab by him was disgusting.

This great victory by justice will finally enable Estate to relase more material from that period imcluding Thriller and Off The Wall outtakes.

This is actually historic victory for art and music against selfishness of one man.
 
Great. - But I hope this will not make it harder in the future to get QJ/MJ material released?
 
He WAS a legend. Now he is an old senile fart who insulted MJ many times. This atempt of money grab by him was disgusting.

This great victory by justice will finally enable Estate to relase more material from that period imcluding Thriller and Off The Wall outtakes.

This is actually historic victory for art and music against selfishness of one man.

Exactly that !!!
 
https://variety.com/2020/biz/news/q...xxnHleHdK-5_wH-1oPb48-bdOOEpFb4RvHTnLI8aL48fo

An appellate court ruled on Tuesday that the Michael Jackson estate does not have to pay $6.9 million in royalties and fees to Quincy Jones.

The three-judge panel of the 2nd Appellate District overturned the bulk of a 2017 jury verdict, finding that the trial judge had allowed the jury to misinterpret Jones’ contract.

Jones’ attorneys had argued that the producer was entitled to some $30 million in royalties and other income derived from the “This Is It” concert film, two Cirque du Soleil shows and other revenue streams that followed Jackson’s death in 2009. After a two-week trial, the jurors awarded Jones $9.4 million.

But on Tuesday, the appeals court took most of it back, saying that Judge Michael L. Stern had erred by not interpreting the contract himself, and instead leaving it up to the jurors.

After Jackson’s death, his estate negotiated an increased share of profits through a joint venture with Sony, going from 50% to two-thirds. Jones’ attorneys argued at trial that he was entitled under his producer contract to a proportional increase in royalties. The jury agreed, granting Jones $5.3 million in joint venture profits.

But the appeals court ruled that Jones’ producer contracts did not entitle him to such an increase.

“The language of section 4(a) cannot be tortured to mean that Jones’s maximum royalty rate increased proportionally if Jackson’s maximum royalty rate increased,” wrote Justice Judith Ashmann-Gerst, on behalf of a unanimous panel.

The court also vacated an award of $1.6 million in remix fees, which Jones claimed he was owed. Jones’ contract gave him first right of refusal on remixes of his Jackson albums, which he was not afforded. But the panel held he was not entitled to be paid fees for remixing work that he did not perform.

“The only compensation Jones was entitled to receive was royalties from record sales on remixes, and the evidence indicates he received them,” Ashmann-Gerst wrote. “If he wanted remixing fees, he had to negotiate them in separate agreements.”

The court left in place the remaining $2.6 million awarded to Jones, which consisted of unpaid license fees from “This Is It,” plus other fees and interest.

Jones had also appealed two of Stern’s rulings that went against him. His attorneys argued he should have been allowed to claim elder abuse, and should have been awarded interest on a greater portion of the damages award. Those appeals were both denied.

Howard Weitzman, who represented the Jackson estate, issued a statement claiming vindication.

“Quincy Jones was the last person we thought would try to take advantage of Michael Jackson by filing a lawsuit three years after he died asking for tens of millions of dollars he wasn’t entitled to,” Weitzman said. “We knew the verdict was wrong when we heard it, and the court of appeal has completely vindicated us. From the beginning this was an attempt to take advantage of Michael knowing he wasn’t here to defend himself.”

John Branca, co-executor of the estate, also issued a comment: “So many people have tried to take advantage of Michael and mischaracterize him since his death. It’s gratifying that in this case the court in an overwhelmingly favorable and just decision, recognizes that Michael Jackson was both an enormous talent and an extremely fair business executive.”

Kirk Dillman, an attorney representing Jones, also put out a statement in which he chose to look on the bright side: “While we disagree with portions of the Court’s decision and are evaluating our options going forward, we are pleased that the Court affirmed the jury’s determination that MJJP failed to pay Quincy Jones more than $2.5M that it owed him.”
 
Notice from MJOnlineTeam re: Tom Mesereau's idea for "MJ Acts of Kindness"

The Estate has asked us to share the attached letter from Tom Mesereau to you.

He and The Estate are creating an extensive archive of as many of the acts of kindness that Michael performed during his lifetime as is possible to compile including, especially, the lesser-publicized stories.

Please send your submissions to: mjactsofkindness@mjonlineteam.com.

The MJ Online Team will be compiling submissions for this project to send to the Estate and Mr. Mesereau. We all look forward to reading your stories.

Click here to read Mr. Mesereau's letter: https://mcusercontent.com/b10cd0eb926d3e80232b5aeef/files/8f57b83e-5ada-4711-bf0a-bb51cf32b8b4/TomMesereau05062020.pdf
 
Notice from MJOnlineTeam re: Tom Mesereau's idea for "MJ Acts of Kindness"

The Estate has asked us to share the attached letter from Tom Mesereau to you.

He and The Estate are creating an extensive archive of as many of the acts of kindness that Michael performed during his lifetime as is possible to compile including, especially, the lesser-publicized stories.

Please send your submissions to: mjactsofkindness@mjonlineteam.com.

The MJ Online Team will be compiling submissions for this project to send to the Estate and Mr. Mesereau. We all look forward to reading your stories.

Click here to read Mr. Mesereau's letter: https://mcusercontent.com/b10cd0eb926d3e80232b5aeef/files/8f57b83e-5ada-4711-bf0a-bb51cf32b8b4/TomMesereau05062020.pdf

Can someone tell me what's this about?
 
Can you explain it to me a simple matter?

It's simple. Michael Jackson (now his Estate) has 100% rights of his music and all music rights MJ bought - that is called Mijac Catalog. Michael and Quincy agreed and signed a contract that MJ will pay royalties (10% according to this trial) to Quincy for the work they did together (songs produced or co-produced by Quincy). Ownership of the songs/catalog was always 100% Michael. Michael always kept his songs and this whole catalog of music separate from Sony ATV catalog containing Beatles songs. That catalog was sold by MJ Estate to Sony for 750 MIL $.
 
Moderator announcement: Please restrict posts in this thread to Estate News ONLY. That is, anything new that is being announced by the Estate, official Estate announcements by MJOnline, articles about these announcements and statements, or further developments related to something announced previously. Discussion about said statements/announcements is also allowed in this thread. The thread is not for complaints and/or musings about what the Estate should or should not be doing, or what we would like to see happen - there are (many) other threads for that express purpose. Can we please also have members doing their own reading and research about what certain developments mean, rather than asking incessantly for explanations? The chat box and the chat room might be a good place to start, when it comes to having tons of random questions answered....there is usually someone there, who is willing to help. Thank you.
 
The Estate of Michael Jackson will release a brand new line of merchandise celebrating HIStory, the album.

EZWvQRRXsAAykb3



The following statement from the MJ Online Team:

25 Years ago this coming month, Michael released one of the most forceful and impactful albums of his career – a double album which featured his greatest hits and all new material that addressed racial injustice, police brutality, false accusations, the tabloid media, climate change, and the need for us to take care of each other, among other themes. He called it HIStory – Past, Present, and Future Book I. Originally, the album was scheduled for a 1994 holiday-season release. Michael declared that it wasn’t ready, and delayed it until he had the exact album he wanted. After one of the most memorable marketing campaigns in history, the album was released on June 20, 1995.

Michael’s messages on this album are as relevant today as ever. Although we all know that Michael’s most autobiographical and, according to some, best album deserves a much bigger celebration, that is simply not possible given the current circumstances around the world.

The Estate of Michael Jackson is honoring and celebrating HIStory with a series of new merchandise capsule collections featuring both the album as a whole as well as all of the singles released from HIStory. The first, designed for “Scream/Childhood,” which was released on May 31, 1995, will be released at midnight tonight, eastern standard time. You can peruse and purchase from the collection here: https://www.shopmichaeljackson.com/store/

The first range is made of:
– T-shirt
– Hoodie
– Face Mask
– Neck Gaiter

with the imagery of the (maxi Single and not) single “SCREAM”.

So expect the same range of products for all HIStory’s Singles and maybe the album!

SOURCE: MJ online Team
 
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t...Oz92xbwEmBsUQoEG3R6s6fJL1IvTExj46LDSVrfs3UnIU


Michael Jackson Estate's Battle With Ex-Manager Ends As Court Enforces $3M Settlement

The Hollywood Reporter
July 16, 2020

Tohme Tohme and Michael Jackson's estate reached a settlement mid-trial in 2019, and a California judge has found their oral agreement is binding and it doesn't matter that they haven't signed a written version.

Michael Jackson's ex-manager Tohme Tohme's longstanding legal war with the King of Pop's estate has ended as a California judge ruled that he's owed the $3 million he was promised in a 2019 settlement even though the deal was never finalized in writing.

Tohme first sued the estate in 2012. He claimed he's owed a 15 percent commission on compensation Jackson received during his last year of his life, plus a cut of the hugely successful concert film This Is It, which was released a few months after the singer's death, and a finder's fee for securing a loan that prevented foreclosure on Neverland Ranch. It seemed the feud was ending a year ago when the parties reached a settlement mid-trial in May 2019 — but they struggled to agree upon a written version and Tohme sued again.

According to a court filing, which was improperly redacted, Tohme will received $3 million as part of the settlement. The estate hasn't paid, but it argued that's because they never executed their agreement in writing and the deal required a mutual release. Through that release both the estate and Tohme would "irrevocably, unconditionally, release, acquit and forever discharge" any and all claims against each other. The estate in its response filing argued such an agreement was necessary because the "intent of the settlement was to finally put to rest all of Tohme's claims, so that the Estate is not burdened by future litigation of old claims."

Tohme in November sued John Branca and John McClain, as representatives of the estate, for breach of contract in an attempt to get the court to force them to pay up. He claims the draft of the agreement the estate sent him included terms he hadn't agreed to and it was never signed, but that doesn't matter because they made an oral agreement.

He moved for summary judgment and the estate pushed back arguing that the parties had mutually understood the deal wouldn't be final until the ink was dry and it was Tohme who breached their agreement by refusing to sign the agreed upon release.

L.A. County Superior Court judge Mark A. Young on Tuesday granted Tohme's motion. He found that the parties had formed an oral agreement and the evidence presented by Tohme suggests the estate, in refusing to pay, didn't keep up its end of the deal.

"Here, the parties orally agreed to all of the terms and conditions of a settlement agreement," finds Young, noting specifically that their oral agreement included a mutual general release of claims. "Defendant fails to produce any evidence that parties intended for there to be a binding contract after a writing was produced, such that there exists a material issue of dispute fact."

Although it's Tohme who prevailed on the motion, the decision isn't a really loss for the estate as the court found the oral agreement regarding the mutual release to be binding as well. So Tohme will get his $3 million and the estate will get the assurance that they won't be engaged in anymore litigation with him.

ASHLEY CULLINS

ashley.cullins@thr.com@AshleyCullins
 
Mikky Dee;4298325 said:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t...Oz92xbwEmBsUQoEG3R6s6fJL1IvTExj46LDSVrfs3UnIU


Michael Jackson Estate's Battle With Ex-Manager Ends As Court Enforces $3M Settlement

The Hollywood Reporter
July 16, 2020

Tohme Tohme and Michael Jackson's estate reached a settlement mid-trial in 2019, and a California judge has found their oral agreement is binding and it doesn't matter that they haven't signed a written version.

Michael Jackson's ex-manager Tohme Tohme's longstanding legal war with the King of Pop's estate has ended as a California judge ruled that he's owed the $3 million he was promised in a 2019 settlement even though the deal was never finalized in writing.

Tohme first sued the estate in 2012. He claimed he's owed a 15 percent commission on compensation Jackson received during his last year of his life, plus a cut of the hugely successful concert film This Is It, which was released a few months after the singer's death, and a finder's fee for securing a loan that prevented foreclosure on Neverland Ranch. It seemed the feud was ending a year ago when the parties reached a settlement mid-trial in May 2019 — but they struggled to agree upon a written version and Tohme sued again.

According to a court filing, which was improperly redacted, Tohme will received $3 million as part of the settlement. The estate hasn't paid, but it argued that's because they never executed their agreement in writing and the deal required a mutual release. Through that release both the estate and Tohme would "irrevocably, unconditionally, release, acquit and forever discharge" any and all claims against each other. The estate in its response filing argued such an agreement was necessary because the "intent of the settlement was to finally put to rest all of Tohme's claims, so that the Estate is not burdened by future litigation of old claims."

Tohme in November sued John Branca and John McClain, as representatives of the estate, for breach of contract in an attempt to get the court to force them to pay up. He claims the draft of the agreement the estate sent him included terms he hadn't agreed to and it was never signed, but that doesn't matter because they made an oral agreement.

He moved for summary judgment and the estate pushed back arguing that the parties had mutually understood the deal wouldn't be final until the ink was dry and it was Tohme who breached their agreement by refusing to sign the agreed upon release.

L.A. County Superior Court judge Mark A. Young on Tuesday granted Tohme's motion. He found that the parties had formed an oral agreement and the evidence presented by Tohme suggests the estate, in refusing to pay, didn't keep up its end of the deal.

"Here, the parties orally agreed to all of the terms and conditions of a settlement agreement," finds Young, noting specifically that their oral agreement included a mutual general release of claims. "Defendant fails to produce any evidence that parties intended for there to be a binding contract after a writing was produced, such that there exists a material issue of dispute fact."

Although it's Tohme who prevailed on the motion, the decision isn't a really loss for the estate as the court found the oral agreement regarding the mutual release to be binding as well. So Tohme will get his $3 million and the estate will get the assurance that they won't be engaged in anymore litigation with him.

ASHLEY CULLINS

ashley.cullins@thr.com@AshleyCullins

Glad to see the Estate enjoying another WIN in the courts. A $3 million payout is an enormous reduction DOWN from the $18.7 million that Thome Thome asked for, in the beginning. He will also not be able to bring any further claims against the Estate in the future and he obviously didn't get any percentage of the earnings of TII or any percentage of future potential earnings.
 
Monsters You Made- MJ Use

Hello #MJFam:

The Estate of Michael Jackson has asked us to let you know that there is a new song, “Monsters You Made”, just released by the Nigerian music artist, Burna Boy (which features a guest appearance by Chris Martin of Coldplay) that Includes sampling of Michael's song "Dirty Diana" - the composition, not Michael’s actual recording. The Estate wants you to know that this use of Michael's composition is authorized.


Best,
John

MJOnline
The Official Online Team of The Michael Jackson Estate™
 
ScreenOrigami;4300930 said:
Monsters You Made- MJ Use

Hello #MJFam:

The Estate of Michael Jackson has asked us to let you know that there is a new song, “Monsters You Made”, just released by the Nigerian music artist, Burna Boy (which features a guest appearance by Chris Martin of Coldplay) that Includes sampling of Michael's song "Dirty Diana" - the composition, not Michael’s actual recording. The Estate wants you to know that this use of Michael's composition is authorized.


Best,
John

MJOnline
The Official Online Team of The Michael Jackson Estate™

they telling us this because?
 
Snek;4300934 said:
Maybe they’re working on their communication.

Or maybe to prevent a flood of emails informing them that someone’s using an unauthorized sample? Or maybe to tease us with a “new song” and wallow in our disappointment upon finding out they’re not talking about a new MJ song? :D
 
ScreenOrigami;4300930 said:
Monsters You Made- MJ Use

Hello #MJFam:

The Estate of Michael Jackson has asked us to let you know that there is a new song, “Monsters You Made”, just released by the Nigerian music artist, Burna Boy (which features a guest appearance by Chris Martin of Coldplay) that Includes sampling of Michael's song "Dirty Diana" - the composition, not Michael’s actual recording. The Estate wants you to know that this use of Michael's composition is authorized.


Best,
John

MJOnline
The Official Online Team of The Michael Jackson Estate™

Not my cup of tea but here is the song

[video=youtube;1X5DfrWkh6Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=70&v=1X5DfrWkh6Q&feature=emb_logo[/video]
 
ScreenOrigami;4300935 said:
Or maybe to prevent a flood of emails informing them that someone’s using an unauthorized sample? Or maybe to tease us with a “new song” and wallow in our disappointment upon finding out they’re not talking about a new MJ song? :D

The first one. Just letting us know that it's approved.
 
Mikky Dee;4301004 said:
The first one. Just letting us know that it's approved.

I know. ;)

I find it somewhat ironic that they approve a song that uses the words “monster” and “fake” in the same line. ;)

https://genius.com/Burna-boy-monsters-you-made-lyrics

I’m personally not into that kind of music, but it’s a great song. And also nice to see an artist from Nigeria getting international attention. The entertainment world revolves around the USA and Europe way too much, in my opinion. :)

Hmm, I guess this is going way off topic, though. :eek:fftopic:
 
ScreenOrigami;4301015 said:
I know. ;)

I find it somewhat ironic that they approve a song that uses the words “monster” and “fake” in the same line. ;)

https://genius.com/Burna-boy-monsters-you-made-lyrics

I’m personally not into that kind of music, but it’s a great song. And also nice to see an artist from Nigeria getting international attention. The entertainment world revolves around the USA and Europe way too much, in my opinion. :)

Hmm, I guess this is going way off topic, though. :eek:fftopic:

Yeah, it's not my cup of tea either. And yes....QUITE ironic. Hahahaha!
 
MJ Birthday News

Hello #MJFam:

Spike Lee will be hosting his annual Brooklyn Loves MJ b-day party virtually this year and he will be doing it on Michael’s YouTube Channel. Please see details below!

wZsuL14.jpg


Best,
John

MJOnline
The Official Online Team of The Michael Jackson Estate™

---

via e-mail

Finally something for all of us to enjoy. :)

UPDATE: Spike says hi. :)

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/1h4TQPqsc4">pic.twitter.com/1h4TQPqsc4</a></p>&mdash; Michael Jackson (@michaeljackson) <a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljackson/status/1294710452220383232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 15, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Last edited:
ScreenOrigami;4301045 said:
MJ Birthday News

Hello #MJFam:

Spike Lee will be hosting his annual Brooklyn Loves MJ b-day party virtually this year and he will be doing it on Michael&#8217;s YouTube Channel. Please see details below!

wZsuL14.jpg


Best,
John

MJOnline
The Official Online Team of The Michael Jackson Estate&#8482;

---

via e-mail

Finally something for all of us to enjoy. :)

UPDATE: Spike says hi. :)

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/1h4TQPqsc4">pic.twitter.com/1h4TQPqsc4</a></p>&#8212; Michael Jackson (@michaeljackson) <a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljackson/status/1294710452220383232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 15, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I came here to post this and you beat me to it!! Lol

This is great news. I think it will be very successful, coming off the high we all have from the dedicated Sirius channel.
 
Mikky Dee;4301060 said:
I came here to post this and you beat me to it!! Lol

This is great news. I think it will be very successful, coming off the high we all have from the dedicated Sirius channel.

Yeah, it&#8217;s amazing that we all get to be part of this. The 2018 BK Loves MJ party in Brooklyn looked fun. :)

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dWM0GQVM2W0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
ScreenOrigami;4301068 said:
Yeah, it&#8217;s amazing that we all get to be part of this. The 2018 BK Loves MJ party in Brooklyn looked fun. :)

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dWM0GQVM2W0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

What I have learnt from discussions with MJ fan friends of mine who live in New York City is that the "Brooklyn Loves MJ Birthday Bash" is always AMAZING and tons of fun. I admire how Spike Lee sticks with it, year after year, against all odds; one year it almost went ahead through a hurricane, but was cancelled (or maybe just postponed) at the very last minute!!
 
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