Control the narrative
Postmortem publicity rights are highly jurisdictional. We establish the legal frameworks to block unauthorized commercialization of the artist's identity.
Practice - Art and entertainment - Artist estates
Artist Estates & Archives
Preserving an artist's legacy requires more than warehousing physical works. It demands the meticulous legal architecture necessary to manage postmortem publicity rights, authenticate provenance, structure gallery transfers, and defend against unauthorized digital replicas under emerging laws like the NO FAKES Act. We counsel the executors and foundations tasked with maintaining the cultural and financial integrity of an artist's life work.
- Matter
- Legacy stewardship
- Register
- Transactional
- Counsel
- Christopher Moye
Artist estates
Control the narrative
Postmortem publicity rights are highly jurisdictional.
Principles · 01
How we draft the matter.
Every engagement is composed against these commitments. They shape the protections we add, the questions we ask, and the document that leaves the file.
Provenance is paramount
The value of the archive rests on authenticity. We structure the rigorous authentication committees and catalog raisonné protocols.
Strategic release
Flooding the market destroys value. We draft the gallery and dealer agreements that govern the measured release of posthumous works.
What we watch · 02
What can break the matter.
These are the terms, structures, and practical risks that usually decide whether the work holds when the file is tested.
EXECUTORFOUNDATION
Postmortem Publicity & Digital Replicas
Enforcing rights under the ELVIS Act, New York Civil Rights Law § 50-f, and the NO FAKES Act to aggressively block unauthorized deepfakes and AI voice cloning.
TRUSTEEDIRECTOR
Archive & Gallery Agreements
Negotiating the exclusive representation, exhibition, and consignment agreements that place the archive in the correct institutional and commercial contexts.
EXPERTFAMILY
Authentication Boards
Structuring the legal liability shields and operational frameworks for the committees tasked with authenticating works and issuing certificates.
The work · 03
Four steps. One engagement.
Each step is concrete; each step has a deliverable. The scope is defined, the matter moves, and the file closes.
- 01
Legacy Assessment
We inventory the physical archive, existing copyright registrations, and outstanding gallery consignments to establish a baseline of control.
- 02
Rights Consolidation
We secure and formalize the estate's ownership of all intellectual property, postmortem publicity rights, and digital likenesses.
- 03
Commercial Structuring
We negotiate the exclusive gallery representation agreements and licensing deals that will generate sustainable revenue for the foundation.
- 04
Vigilant Enforcement
We actively monitor the market and issue immediate cease-and-desists against unauthorized reproductions or digital replicas.
Related matters · 04
If this matter is not quite the fit, begin nearby.
These adjacent matters sit in the same transactional register. The scope changes; the posture stays procedural.
Related matterAuthenticate
Fine Art Transactions & Provenance
Document sales, consignments, provenance work, and controlled transfers that often sit beside the archive itself.
Open the matterRelated matterLicense
Music & Streaming Licensing
Protect catalog economics, downstream licensing, and long-tail revenue when the legacy includes recorded or distributed works.
Open the matterRelated matterNegotiate
Entertainment & Digital Media Law
Handle platform terms, rights chains, and creator-side agreements when the archive sits inside a larger media business.
Open the matterPRESERVE THE INTEGRITY
Protect the life's work.
Structure the legal architecture necessary to preserve, manage, and defend an artist's physical and digital legacy.
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