How Estate Planning Protects Your Intellectual Property: Let's Talk About AI, Copyright Theft, and Estate Disasters

Award-winning children’s book author, Hena Khan, joins Not Your Lawyer for a conversation about winding career paths, creative work, intellectual property and asset protection, and the surprisingly emotional legal questions behind the books we love.Hena is the author of more than 35 children’s books, including “It’s Ramadan Curious George” and “Night of the Moon”. In this episode she shares how she found her way back to her first love, writing. Her story is a reminder that callings aren’t always linear, and that side projects can become life’s work.Together, we explore:How Hena transitioned from public health and international development into writing books for children and young adultsThe realities of work-for-hire writing, IP ownership, and what authors actually give upA discussion around copyright basics such as, public domain, life-plus-70 rules, and why some books disappearWhat happens to creative work after an author passes, including unpublished drafts and artistic estatesThe ethics, fears, and frustrations authors face around AI and creative ownershipWhy estate planning isn’t just legal paperwork, but a love letter to the people you leave behindThe conversation also dives into reading tastes across generations, nostalgic childhood favorites, and how personal libraries, manuscripts, and even unfinished ideas carry both emotional and legal weight.As always, while this episode touches on legal concepts, nothing discussed is legal advice, just thoughtful conversation meant to help you better understand the world around you.ABOUT OUR GUEST, HENA KHANHena Khan is an award-winning author of over 35 children's books written over the last two decades. Many of them draw on her own experiences as a Pakistani American, as a Muslim, and as a young woman growing up in a multicultural America. You can follow her on Instagram @henakhanbooks https://www.instagram.com/henakhanbooks/?hl=en and visit her website at https://henakhan.com/ .WHERE TO FIND MONA REZA, HOST OF NOT YOUR LAWYERFollow along with Mona:Instagram:@stellar5legal https://www.instagram.com/stellar5legal/Website: https://www.stellar5legal.com/not-your-lawyer-podcastWatch Not Your Lawyer on YouTube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/@NotYourLawyerS5LQuestions, thoughts, or want to collaborate with Mona or Not Your Lawyer? Email Mona at [email protected] podcast is produced and supported by Other Kind Media – otherkindmedia.comSwedish Death Cleaning: https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/organizing-tips/a65983186/swedish-death-cleaning-process/