his thousands of lectures be published, he relented and named his second wife, Marie Steiner-von Sivers, to direct his Nachlass, which has produced more than three hundred volumes since his death in 1925. Older examples of such appointments, such as Kenelm Digby for Ben Jonson, are essentially editorial rather than legal. A contemporary case is Christopher Tolkien's work on J. R. R. Tolkien's papers. A notable example is the case of Franz Kafka, who left no will. His friend Max Brod assumed the function of literary executor, though most of the literary estate was legally owned by Marianne Steiner and Věra Saudková. See also Association Littéraire et Artistique Internationale Authors' rights Backlist Copyright protection for fictional characters Digital inheritance Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Klinger v. Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd. Société Plon et autres v. Pierre Hugo et autres Suntrust Bank v. Houghton Mifflin Co. References Copyright law Academia Legal professions Intellectual property law legal terminology Intellectual property organizations Copyright law legal terminology