AFAIK. Michael Jackson owned the publishing rights to the Beatles songs, not the Beatles recordings. Basically the sheet music rights, royalties when Beatles songs are played on a jukebox or the radio or someone does a cover version of a Beatles tune.
It's a complicated arrangement, When in 1989 Paul McCartney wanted to print the lyrics to Eleanor Rigby and other songs for a tour, he discovered he'd have to pay a fee to Michael Jackson.
It's a complicated arrangement, When in 1989 Paul McCartney wanted to print the lyrics to Eleanor Rigby and other songs for a tour, he discovered he'd have to pay a fee to Michael Jackson.