LOS ANGELES, Aug 10 (Reuters) - A Canadian memorabilia
dealer who worked with Michael Jackson's mother on a tribute
book, and whose websites used the singer's image and music,
violated copyrights held by Jackson's estate, a judge ruled on
Friday.
A federal judge in Los Angeles granted an injunction
blocking entrepreneur Howard Mann from using the websites
"michaeljacksonsecretvault.com" and "MJgives.com" and other
similar domain names, saying he had infringed the dead singer's
intellectual property.
"There is undisputed evidence that (Mann) intended in bad
faith to profit from use of Jackson's name, by registering
multiple domain names containing his name or the initials 'MJ'
to sell Jackson-related products," U.S. District Judge Dean
Pregerson wrote in his ruling.
The executors of Jackson's estate filed the case against
Mann in January 2011, 18 months after the "Thriller" singer's
sudden death in Los Angeles from an overdose of the surgical
anesthetic propofol.
The estate holds the copyright to Jackson's image and music
for the benefit of the singer's mother Katherine and his three
children.
Judge Pregerson sided with executors, who claimed that the
websites run by Mann used copyright protected clips of Jackson's
song "Destiny", a logo featuring the self-styled "King of Pop"
and art from the posthumous concert movie "This Is It".
Mann has worked with Katherine Jackson on several projects
since 2009, including a 2010 "Never Can Say Goodbye" coffee
table book featuring recollections of her son, as well as a DVD
and calendar featuring what were described as never before seen
photos and video.
All were sold through the "secretvault" website. Mann
claimed he obtained the rights to the material at a bankruptcy
sale involving members of Jackson's family several years ago.
The "www.michaeljacksonsecretvault.com" site failed to load
on Friday and Mann could not immediately be reached for comment.
Howard Weitzman, a lawyer for Jackson's Estate, said a court
date set for Sept. 4 will involve "how much in damages the
Michael Jackson Estate is entitled to collect from Mann and his
various entities."
The two executors, John McClain and John Branca, said in a
statement they were "extremely pleased" with the Court's ruling
which will prevents Mann from "continuing to unlawfully profit
from Michael Jackson and his intellectual property."
(Reporting By Jill Serjeant)
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