Copyright Protection in Estate Planning: What Authors Must Know

Copyright Protection in Estate Planning: What Authors Must Know
Authors hold valuable assets in their copyrights, but these require strategic estate planning to benefit heirs. Under India's Copyright Act, literary works enjoy protection for the author's lifetime plus 60 years from the following calendar year after death. This means heirs can commercially exploit published works during this period. However, creating companies, trusts, or estates cannot extend copyright beyond statutory limits. For unpublished works first published after an author's death, protection lasts 60 years from publication. Authors can bequeath unpublished manuscripts and their copyrights through wills, with copyright automatically included unless explicitly excluded. Proper documentation ensures smooth succession and maximizes the financial benefit heirs receive from intellectual property assets.