Marley didn't leave a will when he died, meaning Jamaican law dictated the estate's division. It was declared that 10% would go to Marley's widow, Rita, with an additional 45% distributed to her throughout her lifetime, while the remaining 45% would be shared equally among his children.
However, the decision was contested, leading to a decade-long legal battle between Rita, Marley's children, former band members, and his music label. In 1991, the court finally ruled in favour of Rita Marley and Chris Blackwell's Island Logic Ltd., which had been managing Marley's estate since 1989.
Meanwhile, his 11 children were given exclusive rights to Marley's name, likeness, and image for commercial purposes. Island Logic Ltd. continued to control the estate for another decade before it transitioned to Marley's 11 children. Today, the estate is run by four of his children under the name House of Marley, while his remaining offspring have seats on the board.