As Robin Williams' family continues to bicker in court over how to divide the late comedian's personal property, they came across an unexpected request in his will.
He denied everyone the rights to use him in any form of publicity for the next 25 years.
This means no hologram stand ups acts of Williams, digital placements of him in movies or pictures of him in advertisements until August 11, 2039, reported Hollywood Reporter.
"It's interesting that Williams restricted use for 25 years," Laura Zwicker, an attorney at Greenberg Glusker who counsels high net worth individuals on estate and tax planning, told Hollywood Reporter. "I haven't seen that before. I've seen restrictions on the types of uses - no Coke commercials for example - but not like this. It could be a privacy issue."
Williams also left the rights to his name, signature, photograph and likeness to the Windfall Foundation (a charitable organization set up by Williams' legal representatives), according to Hollywood Reporter.
Williams' reasoning behind this request in his will is just speculation, but insiders reportedly told Hollywood Reporter that this could have been in reaction to the dispute between the estate of Michael Jackson and the IRS over how to value the late singer's publicity rights for estate tax purposes.
The hearing lasted less than 40 minutes and both parties agreed to meet informally outside of the courthouse to claim Williams' personal belongings, reported People.
Andrew Bassak, attorney for Williams' children, told People his clients want to settle the case as quickly and as far from the public eye as possible, though he added that "there is still a lot that needs to be worked out."
