Millions of Americans own copyrights: artists, musicians, writers, teachers, architects, designers, choreographers, photographers, coders, jewelers, engineers, cartographers…even pantomimists!

Copyright is an asset that requires special handling, in the estate. Learn how to avoid common errors in wills and trusts, so copyright assets pass as you intend.

• • We’ll talk about who owns copyrights (spoiler alert: the answer is probably, “you”).
  • You own copyrights even if you never registered them with the US Copyright Office.
  • Copyright is indestructible. Even if you ignore it or don’t care, a copyright will never go away until it expires.
  • Every copyright you create will outlive you.
  • Every copyright is a bundle of many, many individual assets.
  • Your assets have to go somewhere, when you die. They don’t just disappear because you did.
  • So, they’ll either go where you intend…or they’ll go someplace else.
  • The point of estate planning is making sure your assets go where you intend.
  • Copyright assets aren’t like your other assets. Without special handling, they will not go where you intend.
  • Our goal in this session is to put you on track for making sure your copyright assets do, indeed, go where you intend.

What’s that? You transferred your copyright away years ago, in a bad deal? Good news: you can get it back!

We’ll talk about the copyright termination right.

Estate planning professionals are welcome to attend and contribute to the discussion.