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Indiana Intellectual Property Blog

~ Trademark and Copyright Law Updates in Indiana

Indiana Intellectual Property Blog

Category Archives: Privacy

Planning Your Digital Estate

04 Monday Mar 2019

Posted by Kenan Farrell in Estate Law, Family Law, Just for Fun, Privacy, Tech Developments

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Facebook, Google, Twitter

I’ve written previously on the importance of planning beyond one’s own death.  Simple planning now can prevent unnecessary headaches after you’ve passed. This is typically accomplished by preparing a will and/or obtaining life insurance.  But with the Internet and cloud computing increasingly dominating our daily lives, more adults are taking their lives online, often through social networking, online gaming, or blogging.  Consumers shop, pay bills, and bank online. Important accounts, documents, files and photos are now often managed exclusively online, almost always behind usernames and passwords.

Do you know what would happen to your blog if you die? What happens to the passwords and content of your multiple email accounts? Who, if anyone, would you want to control your Twitter, Facebook or World of Warcraft account?  Think about these questions now and speak to an attorney who can help you plan your digital estate.

Here are a few general guidelines:

Email Accounts
As a general rule, you own your email and electronic correspondence and you can leave this to whomever you choose in your will. However, if your family or executors don’t know your email passwords, they may have trouble retrieving it. Gmail will give access to email contents upon proof of death and proof of relationship.

Facebook and Social Networking Accounts
Facebook and other social networking accounts are slightly different than email accounts as the information on your profile isn’t as private as your emails – your profile is accessible and viewable by anyone whom you’ve granted access. Your profile also appears as a friend of countless others, and will continue to appear until the account is either closed or your friends delete you.

Facebook allows for the “memorialization” of accounts, where the accounts remain open as a tribute. There’s even a form you can use to report a user who has died. However, Facebook won’t release login information, so the account can’t be accessed, changed or updated.

Blogs and Online Content
An additional consideration for managing your digital estate arises for those of us who run blogs. Much like social networking and email accounts, online service providers such as WordPress are reluctant to release login details, even to an executor. If your blog is hosted on your own server or through a third-party hosting service, the task of accessing the site is further complicated and in some cases may be close to impossible.

If you’ve got a blog, you’ve also got intellectual property including copyright to your writings and any trademarks associated with your site. You may also have photographs, music, and other works that are published and maintained online. Copyright generally lasts for 70 years after the death of the author, so there’s a significant tail period of copyright protection that vests in your estate and, just like any other form of property, intellectual property can be bequeathed to a specific individual in your will. If the will does not specify who gets your intellectual property, the standard rules of distribution apply.

Online Worlds
Users spend a great deal time of time creating and managing identities in online worlds like World of Warcraft or Destiny.  But what will happen to these accounts upon your death?  World of Warcraft will transfer ownership of an account to an immediate family member upon proof of death, and the community has even been known to host virtual funerals.

wowdeath

As with other estate planning stories, the moral is to plan ahead.  Here are your action items for planning the disposition of your digital information upon your death:

  1. Select a “digital” executor, someone who you trust to carry out your wishes with respect to your online information
  2. Tell your executor what you want done and give him or her the information needed to carry out your wishes.
  3. Prepare a list of your email and social networking accounts along with your login data and brief details on how to access the accounts.
  4. Update your will to include specific provisions for who will take ownership of your intellectual property and any data that you leave behind.

New Indiana IP/Technology Laws taking effect July 1, 2013

01 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by Kenan Farrell in Indiana, Intellectual Property, Legislation, Privacy, Social Media, Trademark

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It’s July 1 and you know what that means. It means hundreds of new laws go into effect to govern, tax, confuse and confound the citizenry.

New Indiana Laws July 2013I’ve reviewed the full list of new Indiana laws (at bottom of post) for intellectual property, privacy or technology-related laws.

Among other things, it is now a felony in Indiana to publish intimidating communications on social media sites. The new provision (SB 361, see below) specifically addresses the increasingly common “bomb threat/gun threat” made via social media with the intent to cause evacuation.

Intimidation (IC 35-45-2-1)

1. (a) A person who communicates a threat to another person, with the intent: (1) that the other person engage in conduct against the other person’s will; (2) that the other person be placed in fear of retaliation for a prior lawful act; or (3) of: (A) causing: (i) a dwelling, building, or other structure; or (ii) a vehicle; to be evacuated; or (B) interfering with the occupancy of: (i) a dwelling, building, or other structure; or (ii) a vehicle

SB 361
Effective: July 1, 2013
Code Citations Affected: IC 35-31.5; 35-45
Intimidation. Provides that for the crime of intimidation, “communicates” includes posting a message electronically, including on a social networking web site. Provides that it is a Class D felony if the person to whom the threat is communicated is: (1) an employee of a hospital, school, church, or religious organization; or (2) is a person that owns a building or structure that is open to the public or is an employee of the person. Specifies that communicating a threat with the intent to interfere with the occupancy of certain buildings may constitute intimidation. Increases the penalty to a Class C felony if it is committed against a judge, bailiff, prosecuting attorney, or deputy prosecuting attorney.

SB 369
Effective: May 11, 2013 (Sections 3-5); July 1, 2013 (Sections 1-2)
Code Citations Affected: IC 4-23; 5-14
Public records. Allows a public agency to withhold from public disclosure records criminal intelligence information. Allows a public agency to refuse to confirm or deny the existence of investigatory records of law enforcement agencies or criminal intelligence information, if the fact of the existence of the information would: (1) impede or compromise an ongoing law enforcement investigation or endanger an individual; or (2) reveal information that would have a reasonable likelihood of threatening public safety. Allows a public agency to refuse to confirm or deny the existence of a record the disclosure of which would expose vulnerability to terrorist attack, if the fact of the record’s existence or nonexistence would reveal information that would have a reasonable likelihood of threatening public safety. Allows a person to file an action in court to appeal an agency’s refusal to confirm or deny the existence of a record. Clarifies when a request for a record is deemed denied and appealable. Provides that when a public agency refuses to confirm or deny the existence of a record under certain circumstances, the name and title or position of the person responsible for the refusal shall be given to the person making the records request.

SB 471
Effective: July 1, 2013
Code Citations Affected: IC 16-42
Prescriptions for brand name drugs. Permits a health care practitioner to use words of similar meaning instead of the statutory phrase “Brand Medically Necessary” when writing a prescription for a brand name drug when the practitioner does not want the pharmacist to substitute, under certain government programs, a generically equivalent drug product for the brand name drug.

HB 1219
Effective: July 1, 2013
Code Citations Affected: IC 34-30; 36-1
Privacy of home addresses. Beginning July 1, 2014, allows a city, town, county, or township (unit) that operates a public Internet web site data base containing the names and addresses of property owners to establish a procedure to permit a law enforcement officer, a judge, or a victim of domestic violence who participates in the attorney general’s address confidentiality program (covered person) to restrict disclosure to the general public of the covered person’s home address. Provides that a covered person must submit a written request to a unit in order for the unit to restrict access to the covered person’s home address through a public property data base web site. Provides that the unit must restrict access to the information of a covered person until the covered person submits a written request to the unit to allow access to the information. Provides that if a covered person: (1) has a name change; and (2) notifies the unit in writing of the name change; the unit must prevent disclosure of the covered person’s home address and both the covered person’s former name and new name. Allows a unit to charge a reasonable fee. Provides immunity from civil liability for certain units that restrict address disclosure.

HB 1341
Effective: July 1, 2013
Code Citations Affected: IC 21-18
Standard electronic transcripts. Establishes the Indiana e-transcript program (program). Provides that the commission for higher education shall administer the program. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2015, the program will allow all students at all accredited high schools to request that their transcripts be transmitted electronically to state educational institutions, participating Indiana not-for-profit or privately endowed institutions, and participating Indiana institutions authorized by the board for proprietary education. Provides that a governing body of an accredited nonpublic secondary school may elect to use the common electronic transcript. Requires the department of education, in collaboration with state educational institutions and the commission for higher education, to develop a common electronic transcript.

HB 1393
Effective: July 1, 2013
Code Citations Affected: IC 33-23; 33-24; 33-37
Judicial technology and automation. Establishes the judicial technology oversight committee (committee) to: (1) conduct a continuous study of information technology applications for Indiana’s judicial system; (2) make recommendations to the division of state court administration (division) for the establishment of a pilot program concerning electronic filing; (3) allow public court records to be available on the Internet [emphasis added]; (4) study the appropriate use of private sector vendors; and (5) make recommendations to the supreme court concerning the implementation of policies, standards, and rules that promote the effective use of technology and automation in Indiana courts. Provides that the committee consists of: (1) the chief justice of the supreme court; (2) the chief information officer of the office of technology; (3) two members of the senate; (4) two members of the house of representatives; (5) one trial court judge; (6) two circuit court clerks, with one clerk for a county that does not operate under the state’s automated judicial system and one clerk for a county that operates under the state’s automated judicial system; (7) one attorney admitted to the practice of law in Indiana; and (8) an individual affiliated with a taxpayer organization. Requires the division to develop and implement a standard protocol for sending and receiving certain court data by December 31, 2013, and requires the standard protocol to permit vendors to access the system on an equitable basis. Allows the budget committee to release funds for the judicial technology and automation project after the division certifies in conjunction with the Indiana office of technology that the judicial technology automation project is in compliance with certain information sharing and exchange requirements. Provides that the automated record keeping fee increases for two years from $5 to $7 for all civil, criminal, infraction, and ordinance violation actions except actions resulting in the accused person entering into a: (1) pretrial diversion program agreement; or (2) deferral program agreement. Allocates the $2 fee increase as follows: (1) $2 to the state, if the county is operating under the state’s automated judicial system; or (2) $1 to the state and $1 to the county if the county is not operating under the state’s automated judicial system. Provides that the automated record keeping fee is $5 for all civil, criminal, infraction, and ordinance violation actions resulting in the accused person entering into a: (1) pretrial diversion program agreement; or (2) deferral program agreement.

Here is the full list of new Indiana laws. There’s plenty of juicy stuff in there so give it a read at your convenience. Good luck out there!

View this document on Scribd

Stories from the Week that Was – 7/8/12-7/14/12

15 Sunday Jul 2012

Posted by Kenan Farrell in Copyright, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Privacy, Social Media, Stories from the Week that Was, Tech Developments, Trademark

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BitTorrent, Drones

Here are the top stories I followed this week:

Ukrainian Students Develop Gloves That Translate Sign Language Into Speech

Officials: Past 12 months warmest ever for U.S.

Accused of downloading porn, Kentucky woman sues the pornographers

Here comes Skynet: Army drones almost ready to share sky with airlines

That’s Not My Phone, It’s My Tracker

What were your top stories of the week? Leave a comment below.

Stories from the Week that Was – 5/6/12-5/12/12

13 Sunday May 2012

Posted by Kenan Farrell in Copyright, Defamation, Federal Initiatives, Intellectual Property, Legislation, Privacy, Social Media, Stories from the Week that Was, Tech Developments, Trademark

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Facebook, Grooveshark, NDAA, Opportunity, Twitter

A mid-week election saw Richard Mourdock topple long-standing Republican Senator Richard Lugar. Has anybody bothered to ask Mourdock or (Democrat rival) Joe Donnelly’s thoughts on legislation like CISPA and SNOPA? Not this week, when all the talk was about Zuckerberg’s hoodie and President Obama’s evolution on same-sex marriage.

Why the New gTLDs Don’t Matter

Clicking ‘Like’ on Facebook Is Not Protected Speech, Judge Rules

Property rights in the cloud: Your data or theirs?

Twitter Defends User In Court Over Occupy Tweets

Think That Email Isn’t a Contract? Think Again

Facebook bans Grooveshark over copyright complaint

How Should We Measure Damages for Defamation Over Social Media?

Mars Rover Opportunity Rolling Again After Winter Break

New NDAA Would Give the Military Clandestine Cyberwar Powers

“All of my friends who have younger siblings who are going to college or high school – my number one piece of advice is: You should learn how to program.” – Mark Zuckerberg

Stories from the Week that Was – 4/8/12-4/14/12

14 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by Kenan Farrell in Federal Initiatives, Legislation, Privacy, Stories from the Week that Was, Tech Developments

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Amazon, Barack Obama, Facebook, Instagram, JOBS Act

Stories from the Week that Was – 4/8/12-4/14/12

President Obama Signs Into Law The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act

Amazon will now buy your old CDs

Maryland becomes first state to ban employers from asking for social media passwords

Warning from the USPTO Concerning Unofficial Trademark Solicitations

U.S. sees warmest March in recorded history, NOAA reports

SF Students Suspended & Barred From Walking At Graduation Because They Joked About Teachers On A Blog

Facebook To Acquire Instagram For $1 Billion

“Relying on the government to protect your privacy is like asking a peeping tom to install your window blinds.” – John Perry Barlow

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