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Michael Jackson's estate just got $2.5 million richer. The deceased pop singer's estate reached a settlement Tuesday in a copyright infringement case against Howard Mann and other defendants. In addition to Mann and his co-defendants having to pay the above-mentioned sum, they have been slapped with a permanent injunction against infringing on Jackson's intellectual property in the future. In addition, the settlement included a declaratory judgment confirming the estate's ownership "of Michael Jackson's right of publicity and other intellectual property rights," the estate's attorney, Howard Weitzman, told TheWrap in a statement. Weitzman added...

Los Angeles -- Michael Jackson's estate will begin making its case to a jury that a businessman working with the singer's mother should be forced to pay millions of dollars for infringing on several copyrights.

The amount is the sole issue at stake in a trial set to begin on Tuesday against Howard Mann, who has collaborated with Katherine Jackson on several projects, including a book.

A judge has already ruled that Mann violated Jackson estate copyrights and ordered his website shut down. His attorneys argue the estate doesn't actually own the proper rights and the ruling should be tossed out, but a judge has refused to reconsider his ruling.

The infringed works include cover art from Jackson's posthumous film "This Is It," and a silhouette of the singer dancing to his hit "Smooth Criminal."

The estate's case is expected to hinge on one expert witness who has estimated...

Businessman Howard Mann found to have violated Michael Jackson estate copyrights, including cover art from This Is It

Michael Jackson's estate will begin making its case to a jury that a businessman working with the singer's mother should be forced to pay millions of dollars for infringing on several copyrights.

The amount is the sole issue at stake in a Us trial set to begin on Tuesday against Howard Mann, who has collaborated with Katherine Jackson on several projects, including a book.

A judge has already ruled that Mann violated Jackson estate copyrights and ordered his website to be shut down. His attorneys argue the estate doesn't actually own the proper rights and the ruling should be tossed out, but a judge has refused to reconsider his ruling.

The infringed works include cover art from Jackson's posthumous film This Is It, and a silhouette of the singer dancing to his hit Smooth Criminal.

The founder of the Naked Women's Wrestling League has been found to have infringed on the late Michael Jackson's image, likeness and copyrights. Now, it's only a matter of how much Howard Mann will be found to owe the Jackson family. Mann goes to trial this September to determine the damages the Jackson family will be awarded....Read more...

New York, August 11: A memorabilia dealer working with Katherine Jackson violated copyrights owned by Michael Jackson's estate and can't use the material in the future, a federal judge ordered on Friday.

In a victory for the late pop star's estate, U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson said that businessman Howard Mann had no right to use art from the movie 'This Is It,' the Jackson.

New York, August 9: The validity of Michael Jackson's will has yet again being questioned, this time in federal court.

Howard Mann, a memorabilia dealer who published a tribute book with matriarch Katherine Jackson two years ago, filed legal documents on Monday claiming that he was "in possession of evidence that casts substantial doubt on the validity of the will."

He told the New York Daily.

Michael Jackson's will, which has been called invalid by a number of the deceased pop singer's siblings, is once again under attack -- this time from a business partner of the singer's mother, Katherine Jackson. In legal papers filed in U.S. District Court in Central California on Monday, Howard Mann -- who says he collaborated with the elder Jackson on a tribute book, "Never Can Say Goodbye: The Katherine Jackson Story" -- says that he is "in possession of evidence that casts substantial doubt on the validity of [Jackson's] will," which...

Katherine Jackson 's business partner is attacking reports that Mj's mom turned her back on him -- in fact, TMZ has learned, he's even enlisting the help of his lawyer to quash the rumors once and for all. It all started with a recent article on The Hollywood Reporter -- published last week -- which referred to Howard Mann as Katherine's "former business partner" ... a title Mann takes serious umbrage with. Mann's lawyer responded by...

Katherine Jackson 's business partner wants the Mj Estate off his back in a legal war over Mj merchandise ... claiming Michael himself picked the same fight when he was alive ... until he realized he couldn't win. Long story short -- the Estate wants Howard Mann to stop using Mj's name and image to hock  various websites, books, and other products. Problem is, according to Mann, this is the exact same lawsuit that Michael pursued back...

Katherine Jackson is unloading on the lawyers overlooking Michael Jackson 's Estate -- calling them "greedy" ... and claiming they're filing lawsuits left, right and center just to make a quick buck. In a recent interview from the Michael Jackson Secret Vault , Katherine says, "All these lawyers that are involved in Michael's business since he passed -- there's a lot of them -- I think they're trying to create different lawsuits and things because they're greedy...

Michael Jackson's mother Katherine "can't stand" to look at Dr. Conrad Murray's face as he battles charges of involuntary manslaughter, admitting she's having a "difficult time" coping with the court cases stemming from her son's 2009 death.

The Jackson family matriarch appeared on U.S. breakfast program "Good Morning America" on Tuesday, January 25 and revealed her struggle to sit through court proceedings in the run-up to Murray's trial. The medic stands accused of administering the drug Propofol which killed the singer in June 2009.

Murray pleaded not guilty to the charge on Tuesday, January 25 ahead of his trial on March 28 - and Katherine Jackson insisted the aftermath of the singer's death has proved to be a very tough journey. Jackson said, "It's been a difficult time for me ever since my son passed. When I'm in that courtroom I can't stand to look at that man (Murray)... and I go because I love my son.

Katherine Jackson says she "can't stand" the sight of  Dr. Conrad Murray -- but she shows up to his court hearings anyway because of her undying love for her son Michael Jackson . During a brief interview with ABC , Jackson also fired back at Mj's estate for suing her business partner Howard Mann ... saying "when they're suing Howard Mann, they're suing me." Meanwhile, Dr. Murray is due in court this Am in L.A. to be...

Katherine Jackson's business partner Howard Mann has criticized the administrators of Michael Jackson's estate after they filed suit over allegations he is cashing in on the late superstar's image without proper permission. Estate bosses are suing Mann, claiming he has made millions from Jackson's music, photos and drawings illegally.

According to court papers, they believe Mann hauled in more than $1.5 million from Katherine Jackson's coffee table book, "Never Can Say Goodbye", in its first two days on sale - and they want to recoup all the revenues, as well as damages. Mann is furious the lawyers behind the estate are chasing him to garner more profits, and has labeled them a "fraudulently obtained dictatorship" in a rant to TMZ.com.

He adds, "These lawyers have absolutely no interest in the preservation of Michael Jackson's legacy and less interest in generating revenues for his beneficiaries. The Estate will fall as...

Katherine Jackson 's business partner who is being sued by the Michael Jackson Estate tells TMZ  the Estate is a "fraudulently obtained dictatorship," guarding "a collusive and corrupt status quo." Howard Mann -- whom the Estate claims in a new lawsuit is violating copyright and trademark laws by cashing in on all things Jackson -- calls the lawsuit "malicious and unfounded." Mann says, "These lawyers have absolutely No interest in the preservation of Michael Jackson's...

Michael Jackson's estate is seeking the shutdown of a website that is selling a book written by the singer's mother and has released music attributed to the late pop superstar. The singer's estate sued businessman Howard Mann, who operates the website http://http:www.jacksonsecretvault.com, on Thursday, claiming both are infringing on copyrights and pose unfair competition. The website features a book of Katherine Jackson's recollections of her son and released a remix of a Jackson song shortly before the release of a posthumous album last year. Read more: Associated Press  Related...

Katherine Jackson 's business partner illegally made millions of bucks from  Michael Jackson's music, photos and drawings -- this according to a lawsuit filed by Mj's Estate and obtained by TMZ. The Mj Estate has sued Howard Mann -- the guy behind MichaelJacksonSecretVault.com -- claiming Mann has duped fans into believing his website was kosher ... when it was in fact, "rife with illegal uses of Michael Jackson intellectual property." According to the lawsuit,...

Michael Jackson's Estate has just sued Howard Mann , Katherine Jackson 's business partner, claiming he's been ripping off Michael's name and likeness for profit ... TMZ has learned. According to the lawsuit, filed Thursday, the Estate claims Mann has violated copyright, trademark and cyber piracy laws by hocking all things Mj. Estate lawyer Howard Weitzman says, "The Estate had hoped Mann would voluntarily cease his conduct but that was not to be," adding, "People who trade off Michael's personality,...

Michael Jackson's fairground rides are available to rent. A total of six attractions from the late singer's Neverland ranch amusement park are available via Butler Amusements, although one of them now has a permanent home at the California State Fair and Exposition in Sacramento.

The rides include the "Lolli Swing", featuring a large clown at the center, which can be hired for $5,000 and a "Balloon Samba" ride with rental price starting at $8,500. Other attractions include the "Dragon Wagon" and the "Dinos/Jumping Jumbos", both of which require one day to set up and can be temporarily acquired for $5,000.

Meanwhile, Howard Mann, who is doing business with Michael's mother Katherine Jackson, has indicated the "Thriller" singer's estate does not care about the fate of his three children.

Questioned about the suggestion the estate is more invested in its future than the kids, Prince Michael, 13, Paris, 12 and Prince Michael II, 8, also...

The man doing business with Katherine Jackson just thumbed his nose -- Bigtime -- at the Michael Jackson Estate ... essentially saying they're just a bunch of lawyers who don't care about Mj's kids. Last night Howard Mann slammed the Estate for the suggestion it's more invested in helping Mj's children than he and Katherine -- saying, "I would ask if the Estate has ever met those children, ever spoken to those children. To me it's...

HollywoodNews.com: Michael Jackson’s estate has given a cease and desist order to Katherine Jackson’s business partner, Howard Mann, demanding that he stop using the singer’s image for profit.

The cease and desist letter, usually a prelude to a lawsuit, was issued regarding Mann using Jackson’s image for the “Unveiling of the Jackson Secret Vault Lithographic Collection” banners. Jackson’s mother, Katherine has been thrown into the fray between Mj’s estate and her business partner, Mann.

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The Michael Jackson estate has laid down the gauntlet by demanding that Katherine Jackson 's business partner immediately stop exploiting Mj's image -- or else!!!  Howard Mann -- the guy who had been partnering with Katherine on numerous Mj ventures including her book " Never Can Say Goodbye " -- is now the target of a cease and desist letter ... obtained by TMZ. The executors -- who until now have tolerated Mann's business ventures with Katherine --...

Katherine Jackson has been bitterly complaining the Michael Jackson Estate is not giving her enough money, and now we know what she's done to supplement her income in a big way. TMZ has obtained a contract Katherine signed with Vintage Pop Media (Vpm), the company that owns tens of thousands of photos, videos and other Mj items.  Under the deal -- which is not sanctioned by the Mj Estate -- Katherine agreed to participate in...

Katherine Jackson's monthly allowance doesn't just come from her son Michael Jackson's estate. The Jackson matriarch is also receiving income from a company that owns tens of thousands of the King of Pop's photos, videos and other items.

Katherine's contract with Vintage Pop Media, which is obtained by TMZ, states that she agreed to participate in the production of "The Katherine Jackson Story" and to write the already released book "Never Can Say Goodbye."

Vpm, owned by her business partner Howard Mann, then agreed to pay her 25% of the net profits with a minimum guarantee of ,000 per month. Since there is no end date written for the monthly payment, it could mean that the company agrees to pay Katherine at least ,000 a month for the rest of her life.

Katherine, who is already getting ,000 per month from Michael's estate, also agreed to "forever bind" Michael's children - Prince, Paris...

Washington, Nov 08 – The reports that King of Pop Michael Jackson mum authorized a free leak of a track ahead of its release have come under doubt as Mj’s brother has tweeted that she didn’t do it.

The track, called ‘Opis None’ from the library of the Michael Jackson Secret Vault was posted along with a statement from Katherine Jackson’s business partner, Howard Mann.

However, Jackie Jackson has denied the claims that Katherine authenticated the leak of the song.

“I just spoke with my Mother and she did not authorize the release of the demo track.

Howard Mann , Katherine Jackson's business partner in JacksonSecretVault.com , screwed up royally and he knows it -- and now he's reaching out to all Michael Jackson fans to say he's sorry. Mann published a Jackson song on his website that was touted as an "unreleased Mj track" that came with the blessing of Katherine. As we previously reported ... it was neither of those things . Mann knows that now, and in a letter to TMZ, apologizes...

The guy behind the website JacksonSecretVault.com -- the one who called out the Jackson estate for releasing a song he insinuated wasn't "authentic" -- now has a big "authenticity" problem of his own. Howard Mann , Katherine Jackson's business partner, now says the song his website released Saturday was not "unreleased" as he advertised, but rather a "remake."  Pretty big difference. Mann told TMZ on Friday his site was releasing the song " Opis None " in...

It seems the Michael Jackson song TMZ posted Friday has created some bad blood in Michael's family. We posted an Mj song on Friday -- " Opis None " -- along with a statement from Katherine Jackson's business partner, Howard Mann.  Mann, who said he was speaking for Katherine, seemed to be taking a shot at Sony's upcoming Mj album by saying Mann and Katherine wanted to let people hear "an actual authentic Michael Jackson track to the world.

Michael Jackson's Mom: Here's Your Mj Song!

Michael Jackson's mother has decided to let the world listen to a brand new unreleased Mj song -- and, taking a shot at Sony, one she claims is 100% authentic.

The song -- "Opis None" -- was pulled from the archives of JacksonSecretVault.com ... a company in which Katherine Jackson is a partner. The company owns nearly 300 unreleased Mj tracks ... along with never-before-seen video and memorabilia.

Howard Mann, Katherine's partner in the company, tells TMZ, "In an effort to overcome the confusion as to the authenticity of the track the estate has recently released we want to give an actual authentic Michael Jackson track to the world ... for free."

Sony released a teaser of an upcoming Mj album, which various experts have authenticated as the real deal.

Source: TMZ...

Michael Jackson 's mother has decided to let the world listen to a brand new unreleased Mj song -- and, taking a shot at Sony, one she claims is 100% authentic. The song -- " Opis None " -- was pulled from the archives of JacksonSecretVault.com ... a company in which Katherine Jackson is a partner. The company owns nearly 300 unreleased Mj tracks ... along with never-before-seen video and memorabilia. Howard Mann, Katherine's partner in the company, tells TMZ,...

Washington, Sept 6 – Michael Jackson’s father Joe has said that his heavy parental hand kept the king of Pop away from gangs.

He made the comment in an interview shot by Jacksonsecretvault.com over the summer, which will be used as part of a movie Katherine Jackson is producing with Howard Mann.

In the interview, he speaks about Michael’s past comments about Joe’s parenting-alluding to allegations of physical abuse.

“I had to be like that because when raising him, in those days, so many gangs out there getting into trouble, going to jail. Most.

Joe Jackson says his heavy parental hand kept Michael Jackson away from gangs. The interview with Joe was shot by Jacksonsecretvault.com over the summer and will be used as part of a movie Katherine Jackson is producing with Howard Mann. In the clip, an interviewer asks Joe what he thinks about Michael's past comments about Joe's parenting -- alluding to allegations of physical abuse. Joe says, "I had to be like that because when raising him,...

Joe Jackson -- Spankings Kept Michael Out of Gangs

Joe Jackson says his heavy parental hand kept Michael Jackson away from gangs.

The interview with Joe was shot by Jacksonsecretvault.com over the summer and will be used as part of a movie Katherine Jackson is producing with Howard Mann. In the clip, an interviewer asks Joe what he thinks about Michael's past comments about Joe's parenting -- alluding to allegations of physical abuse. Joe says, "I had to be like that because when raising him, in those days, so many gangs out there getting into trouble, going to jail. Most of them are dead now. He didn't have to worry about that."

The interviewer also asked if Joe had any regrets, "No! They tried to make a big issue when I spanked Michael or some of the kids, ya know? Just like they didn't spank their kids when they did wrong.

A $100 million war has erupted over the unauthorized Michael Jackson online casino -- and now GoDaddy.com could be on the hook for allowing the casino owner to register the site with them. The man behind the lawsuit is Howard Mann -- who claims he owns the copyright to the photos featured on MichaelJacksonCasino.com ... an online gambling site created by a person who's managed to conceal his or her identity. But in a lawsuit,...

Carmen Electra 's lawsuit against the Naked Women's Wrestling League just took a three count -- a portion of it's been dismissed. According to court documents filed in L.A., Carmen requested the dismissal of her suit against the league and its founder Howard Mann . It's been nearly three years since she filed  -- claiming she was owed $300,000 for hosting Nwwwl events. Mann tells TMZ, "After years of multi-million dollar litigation we are happy that...

Michael Jackson's mother "hasn't been doing so well" since his death. Katherine Jackson says in an interview that she has been an emotional wreck since the King of Pop passed away last year.

In the interview shot by the same website promoting her book "Never Can Say Goodbye," and obtained by TMZ, Katherine says that "not a day goes by that I don't think about my son."

The footage was shot before the anniversary of Michael's death in June. It is reportedly part of a larger documentary on the music superstar's life.

Aside from the coffee table book, which she co-wrote with Howard Mann, Katherine is also said to be working on a movie that will focus on her late son's life. Various media sources claim she is making home videos for the documentary.

Katherine Jackson claims she "hasn't been doing so well" since Mj died -- in fact, according to a never-before-seen interview from last month, the singer's mother has basically been an emotional wreck.

During the moving interview -- which took place before the anniversary of Michael's death -- a visibly upset Katherine claims, "Not a day goes by that I don't think about my son."

The clip was shot by the same website hawking Katherine's new book "Never Can Say Goodbye" -- and according to our source, the footage is all part of a larger documentary on Jackson's life.

As for who's behind the whole project -- we're told it's an equal partnership between Katherine and Howard Mann -- the same guy who co-wrote her book.

Source: TMZ...

Katherine Jackson claims she "hasn't been doing so well" since Mj died -- in fact, according to a never-before-seen interview from last month, the singer's mother has basically been an emotional wreck. During the moving interview -- which took place before the anniversary of Michael's death -- a visibly upset Katherine claims, "Not a day goes by that I don't think about my son." The clip was shot by the same website hawking Katherine's new...

Katherine and Joe Jackson are set to make a bundle off of their various Michael Jackson business ventures.  But Katherine and her hubby haven't figured out ... someone is waiting in the wings to take away everything they make. TMZ broke the story ... Katherine and Joe owe more than $13 million to a South Korean newspaper -- the Segye Times.  The paper gave Joe, Katherine, and Jermaine a $5.5 million advance for a Jackson family concert series that never got off the ground.

New York, July 02 – Legendary singer Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine has reportedly struck a business deal to produce and distribute movies about the life of the late King of Pop.

According to TMZ, Jackson’s mother has hundreds of hours of video, including the family’s move from Gary, Indiana to Los Angeles after The Jackson 5 signed with Mowtown in 1968.

Howard Mann, who co-authored a book called ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ with Katherine, is reported to have bought the rights to more videos of the King of Pop owned by his friend and business partner Marc Shaffel, reports the New York Post.

Katherine,.

Katherine and Joe Jackson are set to make a bundle off of their various Michael Jackson business ventures. But Katherine and her hubby haven't figured out ... someone is waiting in the wings to take away everything they make.

TMZ broke the story ... Katherine and Joe owe more than $13 million to a South Korean newspaper -- the Segye Times. The paper gave Joe, Katherine, and Jermaine a $5.5 million advance for a Jackson family concert series that never got off the ground. The newspaper sued in 1994, won a $4 mil judgment which has swelled with interest to more than $13 mil.

Edwin Bradley, a lawyer for the Segye Times tells TMZ, his client will go after anything Katherine and Joe make -- and that includes profits from Katherine's book, the movie projects she's producing with Howard Mann (pictured right) -- everything.

Ironically, Katherine's allowance from the Mj estate could be in jeopardy, since she's...

Michael Jackson's mother Katherine is reportedly in negotiations to produce a number of movies documenting her late son's life. The Jackson family matriarch is said to be teaming up with her new business partner Howard Mann, who collaborated on her recently-released coffee table book, for a series of films about the King of Pop.

Mann has allegedly paid millions of dollars to Jackson's former business partner Marc Schaffel for 26 hours of footage of the singer from his childhood to use in the movies. The clips, along with Katherine's extensive home-video collection, will form the basis of the big-screen ventures, according to TMZ.com.

The movies won't be Jackson's first posthumous appearance in cinemas - his concert film "This Is It" was released last year and has so far grossed more than $260 million. Katherine Jackson and Mann are also said to be negotiating record deals to release 273 unheard songs by the late singer.

Michael Jackson's mother is to produce a film about her late son. Katherine Jackson is reportedly working with Howard Mann, the co-author of her coffee table book "Never Can Say Goodbye", on a movie which will focus on the pop superstar's life from childhood to his untimely death on June 25, 2009.

According to TMZ, Katherine is making hundreds of hours of home videos available to Howard, including footage of when the Jackson family moved from Gary, Indiana, to Los Angeles after The Jackson 5 signed with Motown records. It is also believed Howard has paid an eight-figure sum to the "Black or White" singer's former business partner Marc Schaffel for 26 hours of video footage of Michael.

The plans are for Howard and Katherine, who is the legal guardian of Michael's three children, Prince Michael I, Paris and Prince Michael II, also known as Blanket, to release a series of films about Michael.

London, July 1 – Late Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine is planning to produce a number of movies on her son’s life.

Katherine has reportedly teamed up with her new business partner Howard Mann, who collaborated on her recently-released coffee table book, for a series of films about the King of Pop.

Mann has allegedly paid millions of dollars to Jackson’s former business partner Marc Schaffel for 26 hours of footage of the singer from his childhood to use in the movies.

The clips, along.

TMZ has learned ... Katherine Jackson is knee-deep in a business deal to produce and distribute several movies on Michael Jackson 's life, and she is on a collision course with the Mj estate.   Howard Mann , the guy who co-authored Katherine's coffee table book, " Never Can Say Goodbye ," is also producing a movie that will feature video from Michael Jackson's childhood through the end of his life. We're told Katherine has hundreds of hours of video,...

TMZ has learned ... Katherine Jackson is knee-deep in a business deal to produce and distribute several movies on Michael Jackson's life, and she is on a collision course with the Mj estate.

Howard Mann, the guy who co-authored Katherine's coffee table book, "Never Can Say Goodbye," is also producing a movie that will feature video from Michael Jackson's childhood through the end of his life.

We're told Katherine has hundreds of hours of video, including the family's big move from Gary, Indiana to L.A. after The Jackson 5 signed with Motown.

We're told Mann just bought the rights to 26 hours of Michael Jackson video ... owned by Michael Jackson's former business partner/confidant Marc Schaffel. We're told Mann has paid Schaffel in the eight figures for the video.

Now here's the problem ... the Michael Jackson estate has the exclusive right to market Michael Jackson's name and image.

Michael Jackson's mother Katherine is putting on her director's hat and getting back to work. Katherine is reportedly going to produce a film about her late son with Howard Mann, the co-author of her coffee table book Never Can Say Goodbye. Joe Jackson Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit The movie will focus on Michael's life from childhood to his untimely death on June 25th 2009. According to TMZ, Katherine is putting together hundreds of hours of home videos together including footage of when the Jackson family moved from Gary, Indiana, to Los Angeles after The Jackson 5...

Katherine Jackson -- The Buck Stops Here

Katherine Jackson has a problem she may not realize -- while she's raking money in from various Michael Jackson businesses, the judge in the Mj estate case could shut her out of a huge monthly allowance the Mj estate has been providing. TMZ first reported ... Katherine and Joe Jackson sponsored a ritzy Michael Jackson event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel Saturday night -- with tickets going as high as $500 a pop -- and if there are profits, we're told some of that will line her pocket.

And then there's the book she hawking  -- "Never Can Say Goodbye" -- co-authored by Howard Mann, who made a fortune off of nude, online gambling.

Mann tells us he's going into other businesses with Katherine as well. Roger Friedman from Showbiz411.com says he's seen a contract between Mann and Katherine which guarantees her $10,000 a month...

Katherine Jackson has a problem she may not realize -- while she's raking money in from various Michael Jackson businesses, the judge in the Mj estate case could shut her out of a huge monthly allowance the Mj estate has been providing. TMZ first reported ... Katherine and Joe Jackson sponsored a ritzy Michael Jackson event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel Saturday night -- with tickets going as high as $500 a pop -- and if there are profits,...

By Roger Friedman

HollywoodNews.com: We can add one more name to the never ending saga of Michael Jackson, and it’s a famous Hollywood moniker: Wolper.

It turns out that in his quest to monetize his purchase of all that Jackson memorabilia, Toronto online entrepreneur Howard Mann has enlisted Mark and Michael Wolper, the sons of famed television and movie producer David Wolper.

Even though no deal has been struck officially, Michael Wolper told me yesterday that he and his brother are exploring ways to help Mann use the rights he think he’s gained through the purchase of a warehouse of Jackson family possessions. Mann is certain that he now has various rights because he possesses documents, recordings, and videos.

Mann, however, may be in for some fight from Michael Jackson’s estate. It’s more than likely that Jackson’s executors will counter that they control his likeness and image.

Michael Jackson Estate Threatened with Lawsuit

The co-author of a new book on Michael Jackson has threatened to sue the Michael Jackson estate for allegedly trying to discredit the book.

Howard Mann -- a businessman who has made money on nude online gambling and nude wrestling -- hooked up with Katherine Jackson to create a coffee table book called "Never Can Say Goodbye."

Estate lawyer Howard Weitzman told TMZ earlier this week, Mann had no right "to exploit any estate assets" and would take "whatever action is necessary to prevent him from unlawfully profiting."

Mann now tells TMZ, "The comments by the lawyers for the Estate of Michael Jackson are designed to create fear and ambiguity and may impede our ability to maximize the profits that Vintage Pop (the publisher) and the beneficiaries of the Estate are entitled to enjoy.  These actions are torturous interference and will Not be accepted...