The songs were registered on 27th June 2009. However some people get this wrong. On that day the registration was NOT in the bag. At that date it was just an application for the moment, not yet a registration in the bag. As Michael Jackson was no longer with us and as with his untimely death no person was legally authorized to represent him but the not yet constituted MJ Estate with its two heads that couldn't take office at that time, the registration was provisionally invalid (more exact: Eddie and James' work was protected rightfully but not yet Michael's contribution to the songs). It only became valid when John McClain and John Branca took offices and attended to the registration.
Legally there's no need to change the date of registration because the OK from the MJ Estate applies ex post facto (retroactive).
Effective Date Of Copyright Registration
Copyright registration is effective on the day the US Copyright Office receives the appropriate form, copy or copies of the work, and the filing fee from you, until your claim is either refused or accepted.
The registration date (as well as the creation date which is often just a placeholder - as can be seen with many registrations of other songs from MJ where it just says 2009 because the MJ Estate didn't have more concrete data at hand about when a song was actually recorded when they registered the songs) thus doesn't tell much about when the registration was in the bag. It just says that everything they handed in was documented on that day (27th June 2009). There's no way they could fool the MJ Estate because in order to get their approval they had to show everything they wanted to register rightfully on the date of the application.
Applications and fees received without appropriate copies, phonorecords, or identifying material will not be processed by the Copyright Office and are not returned.
As you can see Michael's vocals that were later tested positive had to be included.
Otherwise they would have to fill another application if that material didn't include "appropriate copies, ... identifying material" for what they claimed it to be (Remember, their application lists MJ with this:
Authorship: sound recording, performance, production, compilation, LYRICS.
Btw, registration with the US Copyright Office usually takes some time, especially when a deceased artist's estate is involved.
So, basically people don't understand that procedure at all. It's impossible to have a rightful registration within 2 days. The 27th June 2009 is NOTHING but the day of the application FOR the registration. And the MJ Estate which is needed for a rightful registration didn't exist until later.
I hope more people would understand this...
The registration's part that is associated to Michael Jackson is not valid until the MJ Estate think it is. They have to approve it. The requester cannot register sound recordings as Michael Jackson without the MJ Estate's approval. Until there's no approval that part is provisonally invalid.
Try registering sth as from Michael Jackson and you'll see that your application will be rejected or have you ever seen entries in the US copyright office database that have nothing to do with Michael Jackson, yet list him? Nope...
The Michael Jackson Estate certainly cannot be unaware of it as the US Copyright office demands confirmation from all involved copyright contenders, so they automatically contacted the MJ Estate once it existed. We don't know when exactly the registration was in the bag. It certainly took several months.
As has been explained several times here: Both co-executors of the MJ Estate have full power together and one can't do anything without the other (e.g. compliance, permission, contestation, acquiescence etc.). So that story about one of them trying his best not to publish them (as claimed by Taryll) can't be true as they wouldn't have to prove the songs would be fake, it would have been sufficient if there wouldn't be any confirmation for their authenticity.
