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58 Baylor L. Rev. 407 (2006)
It Takes Two to Tango: Problems with Community Property Ownership of Copyrights and Patents in Texas

handle is hein.journals/baylr58 and id is 415 raw text is: IT TAKES TWO To TANGO!: PROBLEMS WITH COMMUNITY PROPERTY OWNERSHIP OF COPYRIGHTS AND PATENTS IN TEXAS J. Wesley Cochran* 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................... 408 II. LEGAL PRINCIPLES .................................................................. 411 A. Overview of Texas Community Property Law ................. 411 1. History & Structure .................................................... 411 2. Community Property Presumption ............................ 415 3. Income from Separate Property ................................. 416 4. Characterization of Marital Property by Agreement .417 5. Management of Community Property ....................... 417 6. Reimbursement & Economic Contribution ............... 418 7. Future Income ............................................................ 419 8. Division of Property ................................................... 421 9. Alimony & Maintenance ............................................ 422 B. Overview of Copyright Law ............................................ 424 C. Overview of Patent Law .................................................. 430 III. PATENTS & COPYRIGHTS AS MARITAL PROPERTY .................. 433 A . G enerally ......................................................................... 433 B. In re Marriage of Worth .................................................. 437 C. Rodrigue v. Rodrigue ...................................................... 439 D . Texas C ases ..................................................................... 446 1. Rose v. Hatten ............................................................ 446 2. Kennard v. McCray .................................................... 447 3. Bell v. Moores ............................................................ 448 4. Miner v. Miner ........................................................... 450 5. Alsenz v. Alsenz .......................................................... 451 6. Sheshtawy v. Sheshtawy ............................................. 456 IV. DEALING WITH PATENTS & COPYRIGHTS AT DIVORCE ........... 457 A. Determining the Nature of the Controversy .................... 457 * Professor of Law, Texas Tech University. The author thanks his research assistant Priscilla Camacho for her efforts in bringing this project to fruition and Professors Gerry Beyer, Laura N. Gasaway, and James S. Heller for their helpful suggestions.