LOS ANGELES — “Heal the world. Make it a better place for you and for me.” So sang Michael Jackson in his mega-selling 1992 anthem for change.

Now the singer’s estate and Jackson’s mother could use a little healing themselves as they fight each other over the non-profit Heal the World Foundation, which claims it’s the successor to the pop star’s defunct charity inspired by the song. At stake in the skirmish are trademarks worth millions of dollars and a piece of Jackson’s legacy.

The dispute, which is playing out in a federal court in Los Angeles, is the latest example of the sometimes strained relationship between Jackson’s family and his estate, which has already earned hundreds of millions of dollars.

But the fight against the new incarnation of the Heal the World Foundation has also raised questions about which causes the singer would want to focus on if he hadn’t abandoned his charity to fight off allegations of child sexual abuse.

His mother, Katherine Jackson, left little doubt about her sentiments in a recent court filing: “It is not my desire, nor would it be the desire of my son Michael, to continue this lawsuit against Heal the World Foundation.”