For lovers and scholars of the 20th-century novel, Stephen Joyce has become something of a literary villain. The grandson and sole living heir of James Joyce, the Irish author and poet, has spent the past 17 years fiercely guarding his family’s estate through a series of court battles with those brave enough to try to use copyrighted Joyce documents.

Stephen’s notoriously acerbic dealings are held up by many who question the role of intellectual property law in literary estate management. Many legal jurisdictions grant automatic copyright on artistic works to their creators for 70 years after death. Fans often accuse estate heirs of abusing that right to hoard wealth and hamper access to classic literature.