The “King of Pop” lawsuit
Although the original TMZ article sounds like an overzealous MJ Estate went after an irrelevant popcorn site, the case isn’t about popcorn – it’s about trademarks. Below you will find a detailed explanation of the trademark dispute.
In late 2012, GourmetGiftBaskets (GGB) have tried to register trademarks – Kingofpop.com and Kingofpop – with the US Trademark Office. They had bought the website domain from a MJ fan site for $7,000 earlier in 2012. In late 2013 (when the mark was published for opposition), Estate filed an opposition with the trademark office.
Why? Because “King of Pop” happens to be a registered trademark of MJ Estate and have been extensively used in official products and marketing campaigns – including 2008 “King of Pop” greatest hits album, TII related and posthumous merchandise. Furthermore in 2012 when GGB was attempting to register “King of Pop” website, MJ Estate was using it during Bad25 release in Pepsi MJ Advertisements and Pepsi Cans.