Part 2 of 2: In the US alone, thousands of copyright creators and/or copyright owners die each year. How many of these folks create a comprehensive estate plan, or even a basic will or simple trust? The goal of estate planning is to minimize the potential for probate litigation, make life easier for those left behind, and to preserve an artist's legacy.

All to often we see cases where artists simply failed to plan for the protection and/or distribution of their estate. Perhaps even more heart-breaking and legally interesting are the cases where the plan failed and the heirs, with the assistance of the court, were able to override the estate plan.