Claim: In 1995, Michael Jackson forced Sony to merge their entire catalogue with his.
Verdict: Unverified (50% confidence)
Explanation: According to Billboard, in 1995, Sony and Michael Jackson formed Sony/ATV Music Publishing after Jackson sold a 50 percent share of ATV to Sony for around $100 million, indicating a mutual agreement rather than coercion. The UPI archive also supports this by stating that Michael Jackson and Sony announced they were compiling their song catalogs, which suggests a collaborative effort. No sources explicitly state that Michael Jackson forced Sony into the merger, and the available evidence describe...