Content creation may be a modern buzzword, but the need to protect creative and inventive works is nothing new. Patents, trademarks, and copyrights are all forms of intellectual property–and understanding what happens to those rights when someone passes away is a critical part of estate planning.

In this episode of Into the Woods–the first in a three-part series on intellectual property rights at death–attorney Trent Bolar joins host Dave Shaffer to break down the world of patents. They explain how patents are secured through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the 20-year lifespan of a patent, and the maintenance fees required to keep one active. Dave and Trent then explore what happens to patent rights when the inventor passes away, including the executor’s responsibility to notify the USPTO, the three-month window for doing so, and how ownership changes when a patent is held individually, jointly, through an LLC, or within a trust. The episode wraps with a show-and-tell segment about Michael Jackson’s patented shoe design–the invention that made his iconic 45-degree lean in the Smooth Criminal video possible on stage.