London — Michael Jackson's lawyers launched legal proceedings to block a television company from releasing unseen footage filmed during the making of Martin Bashir's documentary Living With Michael Jackson
Jackson and his company MJJ Productions Inc. said in a statement Monday they were seeking a High Court injunction against Granada so that it cannot use unseen footage until wider disputes are settled — specifically whether Bashir "breached the terms on which he was permitted to film Jackson."
Granada said it would fight the proceedings vigorously. A hearing is expected at London's High Court on Friday.
Jackson's lawyers allege that Granada has refused to place the disputed footage in the care of a third party until legal questions have been resolved.
"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," said the statement.
"In particular, Granada has failed to honour an agreement reached earlier this month to deliver up to Michael Jackson unused film footage of his children, where recognizable," it added.
Granada confirmed it had been contacted by Jackson's lawyers about the proceedings.
"They relate to attempts by Michael to claim copyright in our footage," said a spokesman on customary condition of anonymity. "We shall be resisting such claims vigorously."
In the 90-minute Bashir documentary, Jackson said he had slept in a bed with "many children," including actor Macaulay Culkin and his brother, Kieran.
"When you say 'bed,' you're thinking sexual," the singer said. "It's not sexual, we're going to sleep. I tuck them in. ... It's very charming, it's very sweet."
The program showed the singer with his children — his five-year-old son, Prince Michael I; four-year-old daughter, Paris; and infant son, Prince Michael II. Their faces were always covered, either by masks or veils, so they could not be identified.
Earlier this month Jackson's lawyers filed complaints with Britain's Independent Television Commission and the Broadcasting Standards Commission, saying he had been "unfairly treated" by the program.
Granada has said Bashir's documentary was "candid, revealing and honest" and has dismissed Jackson's criticisms.
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