The Answer Is Yes…

. . . To the question contained in this headline: “Is This the Strangest Michael Jackson-Related Lawsuit Ever?” The article is about a lawsuit recently filed in Texas by Everett Watson. Mr. Watson claims that he owns the copyright to Michael Jackson’s death. He apparently has worked for two years on an animated film entitled Murder of Michael Jackson, The Perfect Murder (I’m serious. It’s animated. The term “Looney Tunes” comes to mind for all of the wrong reasons). And while I’m going to go ahead and guess that this film will not be an instant classic, it would be entitled to copyright protection. Which means that the film, or the script, can’t be copied. But Watson is suing MSNBC for running an interview of Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson’s recently convicted doctor. Apparently Dr. Murray’s story has all of the elements of Watson’s film. That of course is no big surprise, given that the film is, you know, about Dr. Murray. Watson is claiming a copyright to the facts surrounding Jackson’s death. And that is not how it works. I don’t think this is going to turn into a “Thriller” of a lawsuit. It’s really “Off the Wall.” I suspect the judge will tell Mr. Watson to “Beat It” real soon.