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By Eriq Gardner Plus Icon Eriq Gardner Former Legal Editor-at-Large More Stories by Eriq * N.Y. Times to Stand Trial This Month as Sarah Palin Libel Suit Heads to Jury * How the Supreme Court Could Shake Up Disney’s Spider-Man Plans * United States v. Facebook: What Hollywood Has at Stake View All March 25, 2014 7:34am * Share on Facebook * Share on X * Share to Flipboard * Send an Email * Show additional share options <#> * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Pinterest * Share on Reddit * Share on Tumblr * Share on Whats App * Print the Article * Post a Comment Cirque du Soleil Hologram Lawsuit: Alki David, 'Michael Jackson One' "Almost everything he did – that’s the 'Thriller' jacket, the 'Billie Jean' look, the 'Dirty Diana' look, the glove, the sock, the arm brace – everything he did was thought out. It was just fashion for him, and it’s lasting," says Goco. "That’s what’s so special about Michael – it’s music, art, fashion, culture. He entered that world, all at the same time, and everyone responds to it." Isaac Brekken/Getty Images * Share on Facebook * Share on X * Share to Flipboard * Send an Email * Show additional share options <#> * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Pinterest * Share on Reddit * Share on Tumblr * Share on Whats App * Print the Article * Post a Comment Logo text Two years ago, a hologram of *Tupac* *Shakur* at the Coachella Music Festival had people wondering about what might be next in concert possibilities. Now, the technology that created the spectacle has landed in the hands of a noteworthy billionaire:* Alki* *David*, the eccentric one who attempted to transform the television business with streaming technology before Aereo stole his thunder and TV broadcasters unleashed their legal guns on him. Now, David finds himself on the flip side of the intellectual property coin. His FilmOn and hologram-maker Musion are the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed on Monday against Cirque du Soleil and MGM Resorts for allegedly infringing patents to create a hologram used in the final scene of // /Michael Jackson : One/, the resident acrobatic production at Mandalay Bay Theatre in Las Vegas. *PHOTOS: Inside Cirque’s New Las Vegas Thriller ‘Michael Jackson One’* The complaint filed in California federal court begins with some history. “In 1862, *John* *Pepper* and *Henry* *Dircks* invented ‘Pepper’s Ghost,’ an illusion technique, which, over the last 150 years, has appeared in movies, concerts, magic shows and amusement park rides,” says the lawsuit. “Today a new incarnation of Pepper’s Ghost exists — Musion Eyeliner technology. Musion Eyeliner uses a patented system to project three-dimensional images virtually indistinguishable from real life bodies.” David was apparently impressed upon seeing the technology being used to create the deceased rapper Tupac appearing on stage with *Dr*. *Dre* and *Snoop* *Dogg*. He says he recently bought the exclusive license to Musion’s patent and has started up a company called Hologram USA with a showroom at the FilmOn Studios on Canon Drive in Beverly Hills. Why? He’s got plans. “We already agreed on hologram performances with *Flo* *Rida* and the late *Amy* *Winehouse*,” he says. “Many other shows are coming.” But first comes some score-settling about who owns rights to hologram technology. David says he’s about to file a slew of lawsuits. This *Michael Jackson *one is the first. The new lawsuit mentions two patents at issue: One for a device for displaying moving images in the background of a stage and one for a projection apparatus and method for pepper’s ghost illusion . “Although it has been widely acknowledged that Defendants employ the technology to create a three-dimensional hologram of Michael Jackson in Cirque du Soleil’s /Michael Jackson: One/, Defendants do not possess a valid license to practice that technology.” *STORY: Making Zombies With ‘LED Guts’ for Cirque’s ‘Michael Jackson One’* The show has been enormously successful and has helped the Michael Jackson estate reap almost a billion dollars in revenue since the King of Pop’s passing in 2009. The lawsuit claims that since the technology behind the Tupac hologram got so much press attention, the defendants knew or should have known the system was patented. The plaintiffs demand an injunction and maximum damages for willful infringement. The hologram is the climax of the 26-scene show, which never has a performer portraying Jackson onstage. Instead, the show strategically uses video and audio footage of the singer throughout the plot’s peaks and valleys. “His presence, even on video, is so powerful, that it can be very tricky to use him,” *Welby Altidor*, /One/‘s/ /director of creation, told /The Hollywood Reporter/ just before the show’s opening in May 2013. “What we wanted to do in this show is build Michael’s presence through his voice and feeling his shadow, to feeling him progressively becoming more and more present throughout the show, until we can create the longing. And then the apex, the moment where we’ll really feel that he’s there and he’s still with us.” /THR /has reached out to Cirque du Soleil and will update with any response. Meanwhile, the hologram technology has landed in the hands of a Hollywood bad boy with a taste for the outrageous. David tells /THR/, “This is by far the most exciting business opportunity I have ever seen. Imagine running 100 meters against *Usain Bolt* or resurrecting *Richard Pryor*!” /Additional reporting by Ashley Lee./ /E-mail: Eriq.Gardner@THR.com Twitter: @eriqgardner / Related Stories Related Story <#> Outkast 2002- H 2013 Related Stories Related Story <#> Cirque du Soleil’s Tribute Show 'Michael Jackson One' Moves Into Las Vegas (Exclusive Photo) Related Stories Related Story <#> Making Zombies With 'LED Guts' for Cirque's 'Michael Jackson One' Related Stories Related Story <#> Inside Cirque’s New Las Vegas Thriller 'Michael Jackson One' Related Stories Related Story <#> Melanie Cook, Janice Min You May Like Read More About: * Amy Winehouse * Cirque du Soleil * Michael Jackson * Tupac Shakur THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up More from The Hollywood Reporter * The Wall Street Journal Sky News’ David Rhodes, Dow Jones CEO Talk AI “Thugs,” Media’s “Big Mistakes,” U.S. Press Freedom * international Global TV Producers On Navigating Trump’s Tariff Storm: “Ignore the Distractions” * ABC News Terry Moran Out at ABC News * Banff World Media Festival Trump’s Trade War Plot Twist May Be a Hollywood That Looks for Even More Co-Productions * Theater Broadway Box Office: ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’ and ‘Othello’ End Runs on New Highs * GreenSlate Hollywood Payroll Firm GreenSlate Shakes Up Leadership THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Email Address Subscribe Today Sign Up By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy . 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