Can I legally sel my deceased mother's copyrighted personal drawings/creative works?
My mother passed away several years ago and is survived by only my brother and me, her daughter. She was a very talented artist (specializing in teddy bears and paper dolls, etc) and many of her creations have been published in various magazines. Approx 15-17 years ago she created a home-based business called "Whimseys" and copyrighted her work because people were reproducing her artwork and making money off of it. The business was only "active" for 4-5 years until she decided to return to work - although she continued to publish occasional articles and drawings here and there. Since she has passed away I have been asked by previous customers of hers if I have any of her original artwork they can buy but I'm not sure if I can legally do so because of the copyright. Please note that a lot of her originals that I have we done before she became copyrighted. I would also like to know about the legalities of selling her pre-copyright works, as well.
My mother passed away several years ago and is survived by only my brother and me, her daughter. She was a very talented artist (specializing in teddy bears and paper dolls, etc) and many of her creations have been published in various magazines. Approx 15-17 years ago she created a home-based business called "Whimseys" and copyrighted her work because people were reproducing her artwork and making money off of it. The business was only "active" for 4-5 years until she decided to return to work - although she continued to publish occasional articles and drawings here and there. Since she has passed away I have been asked by previous customers of hers if I have any of her original artwork they can buy but I'm not sure if I can legally do so because of the copyright. Please note that a lot of her originals that I have we done before she became copyrighted. I would also like to know about the legalities of selling her pre-copyright works, as well.