This Michael Jackson logo design dispute is getting bad

The Michael Jackson Estate is the centre of a logo dispute between the tribute concert MJ Live and the Broadway production MJ: The Musical (yes, these are two separate Michael Jackson-related shows). According to the MJ: The Musical team, the MJ Live logo could potentially confuse fans – but it turns out the debacle isn't as black or white as it seems. 

When you design a logo, it's best to scope out the competition and carve out an identity that stands out against the crowd. In the case of MJ (the musical) and MJ Live, it appears that this wasn't the case. With a 12-year Vegas legacy, MJ Live claims that MJ: The Musical is infringing on its identity, but with the estate backing the newer Broadway production, it's unclear who will have to beat it. 

Issues first cropped up when a trademark was filed in 2019 from a company affiliated with the Michael Jackson Estate. The request was to use the "MJ" wordmark to advertise performances for what was to become MJ: The Musical – the problem was that MJ Live had already been doing this for the past seven years. Despite this, MJ: The Musical launched in 2022 with the controversially similar logo featured across its identity. 

Since then, an official court document shows that MJ Live has sued MJ: The Musical over the logo design. It states that MJ: The Musical has been continuously sending cease and desist letters to the MJ Live venues and "demanding that each of the shows be cancelled." The "confusingly similar" design of the MJ: The Musical logo is accused of appearing "to borrow the font and “distressed” appearance" of the MJ Live logo, which existed long before the MJ: The Musical design.

The legal debacle continues in court with no definitive resolution yet, but MJ Live contests that it maintains "protectable common law rights in its MJ Live mark." For more logo controversy, check out this Baseball team's logo design dispute or take a look at why the Avatar logo design is still traumatising Ryan Gosling.