Dispute Over IP in Tom Petty’s Estate

Tom Petty’s widow, Dana York Petty, is entangled in a probate battle with Adria Petty, one of Tom Petty’s two daughters from his first marriage.

Dana has filed a petition in a Los Angeles probate court against Adria for allegedly attempting to seize control of the Petty estate. Dana claims to be the only trustee of her late husband’s trust, with each of Petty’s daughters entitled to “equal participation” in controlling the entity responsible for managing the Petty catalogue.

Adria and her sister, Annakim, have claimed that “equal participation” gives the sisters a combined majority vote of two-thirds, thus giving them control over the entity.

In the time since Petty’s death in October 2017, two compilations of his music have been released. Though there are plans for further releases, it is unclear when, if at all, the plans will come to fruition in light of the ongoing battle over the Petty estate.

Author: Yonca Umur, 2018/2019 Articling Student-at-law\