The last days of pop icon Michael Jackson where screened as a documentary on ABC last week but it seems the estate of the superstar was unhappy with the material and is now suing the TV network and its owner, Disney, over the programme.

Michael JacksonThe latest documentary on Michael Jackson hasn't gone down well

The Last Days of Michael Jackson aired on 24 May but, according to the lawsuit, the two-hour film used the late King of Pop’s songs and videos without permission.

The lawsuit, held up by Michael Jackson’s estate, said: "Like Disney, the lifeblood of the estate’s business is its intellectual property.

"Yet for some reason, Disney decided it could just use the estate’s most valuable intellectual property for free."

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Court documents claim the estate made its objections to the material being used in the documentary known before it aired.

Disney’s legal team have responded to the legal action, saying the inclusion of copyrighted music fell under "fair use" because of the nature of the documentary. Representatives for ABC added the film "did not infringe on his estate’s right".

The film was billed as a unique look into the singer’s life from his childhood in Gary, Indiana, to his untimely death in 2009 - just months before his British This Is It comeback tour.

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It included never-before-seen interviews the multi-award winning hitmaker conducted with Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer and interviews with his friends and family.

Shortly after the documentary aired, it received negative reviews from fans and critics alike who claimed it resembled more like an opinion piece than a factual documentary.

The special also received backlash for purposely ignore crucial details, for not mentioning his skin disorder called Vitiligo, for not mentioning the abuse he received by his father as a child and also no mention of his humanitarian and charity efforts.