DePaul Journal of Art, Technology & Intellectual Property Law Volume 10 Issue 1 Fall 1999: Symposium - Theft of Art During World War II: Its Legal and Ethical Article 8 Consequences The Price of Celebrity: When a Child's Star-Studded Career Amounts to Nothing Shayne J. Heller Follow this and additional works at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/jatip Recommended Citation Shayne J. Heller, The Price of Celebrity: When a Child's Star-Studded Career Amounts to Nothing, 10 DePaul J. Art, Tech. & Intell. Prop. L. 161 (1999) Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/jatip/vol10/iss1/8 This Legislative Updates is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Law at Via Sapientiae. It has been accepted for inclusion in DePaul Journal of Art, Technology & Intellectual Property Law by an authorized editor of Via Sapientiae. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Heller: The Price of Celebrity: When a Child's Star-Studded Career Amount LEGISLATIVE UPDATES THE PRICE OF CELEBRITY: WHEN A CHILD'S STAR-STUDDED CAREER AMOUNTS TO NOTHING INTRODUCTION A minor in the United States cannot lay claim to the money that he earns; instead, it belongs to his parents.! Essentially, the parents can manage the money in whatever way they see fit -- even if that means spending and not saving the child's earnings.2 Later, when the child reaches the age of majority he often finds nothing left of his money; an empty bank account is a common conclusion to a 3 child's star-studded career. The Coogan Law, adopted to protect a portion of a child actor's earnings, was enacted in 1939, a time when Hollywood's actors were under contract with studios.4 Today, there is not a studio system.