Tuesday, October 18, 2011

I bequeath my iTunes credits to...- Jane Wakefield, BBC

Does anyone know where he left his passwords? Imagine the scene. Sober solicitor, probably with half-rim glasses, surrounded by grieving relatives about to read out the last will and testament of Great-Uncle Johnny: "And to my beloved niece, I leave access to my online poker and bingo account and to my great-nephew Frankie, all my iTunes credits." It might seem far-fetched but as more and more of us amass digital assets, it is exactly the kind of will we might need to consider drawing up. "With more photos, books, music and so on being stored online and in digital format, the question of what happens to these when people are gone becomes more important every day," he said. "Online possessions - from digital photos and videos to music and apps have monetary and emotional value to their owners, and potentially their loved ones." People who do not take care of their digital possessions risk losing them when they die and they could leave relatives with unpaid bills. "Their estate may be liable for ongoing subscriptions to online magazines or newspapers," said Mr Strain.