Dr. Peikoff has made this letter available for the public:
“For obvious reasons, I have been asked this question frequently in recent years. By far the most important property she left me is the copyrights to her books, articles, and lectures. The owner of a copyright is the only one with the prerogative to manage it (i.e., to decide on all issues pertaining to publishing, anthologies, permission to quote, movies, and the like).
In discussing Ayn Rand’s Will with her, it was self-evident to both of us that I should, when my time came, pick the individual or group that I deemed to be the most knowledgeable of and consistent with the philosophy of Objectivism — and, in practical terms, that would be the best to manage the copyrights.My selection, now stated in my Will in formal legal terms is: The Ayn Rand Institute.I founded the Institute many years ago, and I have followed it since, over the years. To my own detailed knowledge of its policy and actions, ARI is the only organization that fosters Objectivism in the way that she sought. ARI is by far the best option — and it is the only group that I myself endorse.Needless to say, I wish all Objectivists the very best for the future. And by the way, this announcement has nothing to do with any disease or crisis in my life. It’s just that I’m now 88. So I will still be around for a while.”
Leonard Peikoff
