What Does “In Perpetuity” Mean?

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Image via freeimages.com

There are certain contract terms that come up regularly in music and entertainment contracts and people often ask me what these common terms mean. One of the most common is the phrase “in perpetuity.” According to Black’s Law Dictionary, the definition of “in perpetuity” is “… that a thing is forever or for all time.”

In practice, the phrase “in perpetuity” usually applies to a transfer of rights or clauses that survive contract termination. For example, under a contract you might grant the rights to use your name and likeness in perpetuity, meaning that the company to which you granted those rights can use your name and likeness forever.

This phrase is also used in situations where certain contract clauses will survive termination of the contract. Contracts usually have an agreed upon term length, upon which the contract terminates after that duration has passed. For example, a contract might have a term of two or three years after which the contract ends and the parties stop working together. However, there may be other clauses within the contract – maybe a non-disclosure clause — that the parties have to abide by forever even though the actual term of the agreement is over and the parties are no longer working together. There are other clauses that are often stipulated to survive the contract term, however, they are mostly part of the “boilerplate” sections of the contract.

I’ll be doing more of the short articles explaining a few other common contract terms. If you like it please leave a comment below letting me know.

Do you have more questions about contract language or especially language specific to your situation? If so, please schedule a consultation* today to get your questions answered.

 

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Disclaimer: This article is for educational and informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. The content contained in this article is not legal advice or a legal opinion on any specific matter or matters. This article does not constitute or create an attorney-client relationship between Erin M. Jacobson, Esq. or Indie Artist Resource and you or any other user and Erin M. Jacobson, Esq. and Indie Artist Resource are not acting as your attorney or providing you with legal advice.   The law may vary based on the facts or particular circumstances or the law in your state. You should not rely on, act, or fail to act, upon this information without seeking the professional counsel of an attorney licensed in your state.

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Jacobson, Esq. Erin M.

Erin M. Jacobson is a practicing attorney that represents musicians, songwriters, music publishers, producers, and other music professionals. She is known throughout the music business as "The Music Industry Lawyer" and her clients range from Grammy and Emmy Award winners to independent artists and companies. She works directly with her clients at every career stage and strives to protect her clients and their creative endeavors through deal negotiations and proper intellectual property management. Erin founded Indie Artist Resource to provide protection to independent musicians with barriers to obtaining basic legal and business documents.

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