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Jacko takes TV fight to court
LONDON, England -- Unseen footage from a behind-the-scenes documentary about Michael Jackson will be kept under lock and key until a British court rules whether he can obtain possession of them. A preliminary application in Jackson's case against the Granada TV program, Living With Michael Jackson, was heard in London's High Court on Friday. The documentary featured interviews with Jackson by journalist Martin Bashir which revealed the superstar had shared a bed with children. After the program Jackson lodged a complaint with broadcasting authorities and accused Bashir of "betrayal." The singer's own production company then released footage of the Bashir interviews in which the interviewer praised the way Jackson treated children. At Friday's hearing, Granada gave temporary undertakings to keep the unused footage in secure conditions under the control of its head of compliance at its South Bank headquarters. The company also pledged not to exploit the out-takes or release the TV programme on video or DVD -- which Jackson says would be a breach of the production agreement. The undertakings are effective until a full hearing of the dispute in April. Andrew Hochhauser QC, for Jackson and his company MJJ Productions, told Mr. Justice Etherton that the star, in agreeing to take part in what he believed would be a faithful and truthful representation of his life, had asked only that Granada make a substantial donation to charity. According to press reports, Granada made millions out of the program. Yet when Jackson asked how much had been donated, "they said it was none of his business", said Hochhauser. The program turned out to be "a travesty of the truth which misrepresented his life and his abilities as a father," he added. A statement issued by Jackson and reported by the Press Association said: "The injunction application, which is filed on behalf of Michael Jackson and MJJ Productions, seeks, amongst other things, to place all unseen footage held by Granada 'in escrow', so that it may not be used in any way, until the wider dispute between Jackson and Granada -- over whether Martin Bashir breached the terms on which he was permitted to film Jackson and the rights to the film - have been resolved." The statement continued: "Consistently Michael Jackson has argued that Martin Bashir and Granada broke the agreement by which he was permitted to film Michael, concerning ownership of the filmed material and permissions relating to the inclusion of the Jackson children. "In particular, Granada has failed to honor an agreement reached earlier this month to deliver up to Michael Jackson unused film footage of his children, where recognisable." The court action is in addition to the official complaints already lodged with the UK's Broadcasting Standards Commission on behalf of both Michael Jackson and Janet Ventura-Arvizo, who is the mother of a child who appeared in the programme. A Granada spokesman told PA: "Michael Jackson's London lawyers told us they have issued proceedings against Granada. They relate to attempts by Michael to claim copyright in our footage. We shall be resisting such claims vigorously."
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