The Estate of Michael Jackson filed a lawsuit against the Walt Disney Co. and ABC (US) TV for alleged copyright infringement, Rolling Stone reported.
The lawsuit, filed in a federal court, alleged that a special the network aired last week about the pop singer's final days used dozens of copyrights without permission. The suit claimed the two-hour special, "The Last Days of Michael Jackson," used multiple songs including "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" without obtaining permission.
The show also made use of "substantial portions" of Jackson's music videos, as well as footage of the late singer's live performances from the Jacksons' "Triumph" tour and other events that are owned by the estate, the report said. A clip from a Spike Lee–directed documentary and footage from the film "Michael Jackson's This Is It" were also illegally used in the documentary, according to the suit.
"Disney and ABC never sought the Jackson Estate's permission to use any of the material owned by the Estate in the broadcast," Jackson estate attorney Howard Weitzman reportedly said in a statement.
"We have not yet had an opportunity to review the complaint," an ABC News spokesperson told Rolling Stone, adding that they "did not infringe on his estate's rights."
