The California Child Actor's Bill (also known as Coogan Act or Coogan Bill) is a law applicable to child performers, designed to safeguard a portion of their earnings for when they enter adulthood.
The original Bill was passed in 1939 by the State of California in response to the plight of Jackie Coogan, who earned millions of dollars as a beloved child actor only to discover, upon reaching adulthood, that his parents had spent almost all of his money. Since then, it has been revised a few times, most recently on January 1, 2004.
"California's current law that regulates minors' entertainment contracts is codified in sections 6750-53 of the Family Code and section 1700.37 of the Labor Code. Even though the current law is based on the previous law, there are some differences. For example, the current law extends the scope of minors' entertainment contracts that the superior court can approve to include contracts pursuant to which a minor renders services as an 'actor, actress, dancer, musician, comedian, singer, or other performer or entertainer, or as a writer, director, producer, production executive, choreographer, composer, conductor, or designer.' Further, the superior court may approve contracts that involve the transfer of intellectual property."
The law requires the child's employer to set aside a portion of the child's earnings in a trust fund. This bill has been further updated stating that 15% of the money earned by the child actor is solely theirs, and unauthorized use by the parents is considered, by law, stealing.
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