Comparative Law Researches

Comparative Law Researches

Digital assets and will instructions (Comparative study of law in the USA, Canada and Iran)

Authors
Badie fathi 1
Sayyed Mahdi Dadmarzi 2
mahdi naseri 3
1 Ph.D. student of private law, University of Qom, Qom, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, Qom University, Qom, Iran
3 Ph.D. student of private law, University of Justice, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Digital assets include an individual‘s email accounts, personal webpages, blogs, social networking sites, documents, videos, or photo storage sites. Technological innovations will most likely expand this list in the future, and digital assets are becoming more economically valuable. As more and more use social media to share personal information, privacy Issues and growing digital assets become critical to the discussion about control over user accounts after their death .There are two primary theories offered as a means for protecting a deceased person’s online privacy. The first is rooted in contract law, while the second is rooted in property law. The contract theory relies on analyzing terms of service agreements that users accept to determine the scope of their posthumous privacy rights, while the property theory evaluates whether a deceased user’s digital assets may be treated similarly to “real property” after death. Although the formation of digital asset contracts may be valid, this Article has argued that the terms prohibiting transfer after death and ignoring the testamentary intent of a testator should be unenforceable as against public policy.
Keywords
Executor
Digital assets
Intangible property

  1. 12. منابع



    1. Banta, Natalie M., Inherit the Cloud: Th Role of Private Contracts in Distributing or Deleting Digital Assets at Death, 83 Fordham L.Rev.799, (2014). (Available at: htt://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/fl/vol83/iss2/16).

    2. Brain, Sweigman, "what Happens to your Digital Assets when you Die, )2012(.",(Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.cabrain– sweigman digital assets b 2606822.html).

    3. Chu, Natasha, protecting privacy after Death, Northwestern Journal of technology and Intellectuall property, volume 13, Issue 2, Article 8, SEP 2015.

    4. Domsky, Ronald, Z., In Terrorem Clauses: More Bark Than Bite?, 25 LOY. U. CHI. L.J. 493, 495, 1994.

    5. Fowler, Geoffrey A., Life and Death Online: Who Controls a Digital Legacy?, WALL ST.J., Jan.5., 2013.

    6. Kutler, Noam, Protecting Your Online You: A New Approach to Handling Your Online Persona After Death, 26 BERKELEY TECH. L.J, 2011.

    7. Lamm, James D., Kunz, Christina L., Riehl, Damien A. and Rademacher, Peter John, The Digital Death Conundrum: HowFederal and State Laws Prevent Fiduciaries from Managing Digital Property, 68 U. Miami L.Rev. (2014) (Available at: http://goo.gl/T9jX1d).

    8. Lenz, David M., Death and Downloads: The Evolving Law of Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets, 23 PROB.L.J.OHIO 2, 2012.

    9. McCouch, Grayson M.P., Probate Law Reform and Nonprobate Transfers, 62 U. MIAMI L. REV. 758–59, 2008.

    10.  Niekerk, Van, A.J., the Strategic management of media Assets; A Methodological Approach. Allied Academies, New Orleans Congress, 2006.

    11.  Perrone, Maria, What Happens When We Die: Estate Planning of Digital Assets, 21 J. COMMLAW CONSPECTU, 2015.

    12.  Schneider, Nicole, Social Media Wills-Protecting Digital Assets, 82 J. KAN. B. ASS’N 16, 2013.

    13.  Sherry, Kristina, What Happens to Our Facebook Accounts When We Die?: Probate Versus Policy and the Fate of Social-Media Assets Postmortem, 40 PEPP. L.REV, 2012.

    14.  Stutts, Emily, Will Your Digital Music and E-Book Libraries “Die Hard” With You?: Transferring Digital Music and E-Books Upon Death, 16 SMU SCI. & TECH. L. REV. 371, 2013.

    15.  Weiland, Richard & Behan, Gorden, planning for and Administering Digital Assets, Clarck Wilson LLP, C Wilson.com, 2014.

    16.  Weiland, Richard & Behan, Gorden, protecting privacy after Death, Clark Wilson LLP, 2014.

    17.  Wilkens, Molly, Privacy and Security During Life, Access After Death: Are They Mutually Exclusive?, 62 HASTINGS L.J. 1037, 2011.


    Acts:



    1.  An Act concerning Access to Decedents Electronic mail Accounts.public Act, No.05_136 (Available at: https://www.cga.ca.gov/2005/act/pa/2005pa-00136-ROOSB-00262-PA.htm).

    2.  Fiduciary access to digital assets act, No.59 (Available at: http://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information technology/access-to-digital-asset decedents.aspx).

    3.  Frequent Flyer Economics, ECONOMIST, May 4, 2002. (Available at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/va-politics/virginia-family-seeking-clues-to-sonssuicide-wants-easier-access-to-facebook/2013/02/17/e1fc728a-7935-11e2-82e8-61a46c2cde3d_story.html).

    4.  Revised uniform fiduciary access to digital assets ac, (2015)-  (www.uniformlaws.org).

    5.  Revised uniform fiduciary access to digital assets ac, (2015) (Available at: http://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/access-to-digital-assets-of-decedents.aspx).

    6.  SB1044 (Available at: http://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information technology/access-to-digital-assets-of-decedents.aspx).


    Cases law:



    1.  Cenveo Corp. v. CelumSolutions Software Gmbh & Co., 504 F. Supp. 2d 574, 576 (D. Minn. 2007); Perloff v. Stein, No. 10-1758, 2011 WL 666167, at *1 (E.D. Penn. 2011).

    2.  Register.com, Inc. v. Verio, Inc., 356 F.3d 393, 403 (2d Cir. 2004) (enforcing terms of service agreement because the user had notice and was aware of the terms); Cairo, Inc. v. Crossmedia Servs., Inc., No. C 04-04825 JW, 2005 WL 756610, at *2 (N.D. Cal. Apr. 1, 2005) (discussing how a contract formed when Cairo continued to use the website, thereby agreeing to the browsewrap agreement). & see: Van Tassell v. United Mktg. Grp., LLC, 795 F. Supp. 2d 770, 791–792 (N.D. Ill. 2011).

    3.  Ajemian v. Yahoo!, 987 N.E.2d 604, 606–615 (Mass. App. Ct. 2013).


    Sites:



    1.  https://nilneg./ni/us/2012/Bills/A3000/2943-R10HTM.

    2.  Contacting Twitter About a Deceased User, TWITTER, (https://support. twitter.com/articles/87894-contacting-twitter-about-a-deceased-user).

    3.  Can I Access the Dropbox Account of Someone Who Has Passed Away?, (requires proof of death and proof of requestor’s legal right to access the deceased’s files); Accessing a Deceased Person’s Mail, GMAIL, https://support.google.com/mail/answer/14300?hl=en.