Nowadays, most of us have our music, movies and books on our computers or our phones. But what happens to these collections once the owner dies?
You may want your heirs to have these collections, but it isn’t that easy to pass them down since there are no physical copies.
User agreements with companies like Apple and Amazon say that when you purchase digital books, songs and movies, you are buying only a license to use the content, according to an article on elderlawanswers.com.
You do not have the right to transfer these files to anyone else, the story says, not even when you die.
This may change as some states are mulling passing laws dealing with digital assets, but most of these have to do with email and social media accounts, not content.
If you own a device that has content, you can give that device to your heirs and give them your passwords, but it is not certain that the content will always be there.
There is some talk about setting up trusts to purchase online content but this remains a legal gray area, the story says.
If you have questions about elder law or estate planning, feel free to contact us for a consulation at (626) 696-3145.
