Love, loss and long division

You can end a relationship these days, divvy up friends too. But how do you split a joint Insta or air miles? Can you sue for custody of the dog? See how couples now tie up (and trip over) loose ends

-  Karishma Kuenzang

Breakups can bring out the worst in people. Delhi lawyer Abhey Narula knows at least one spouse who stole every left shoe from their partner's wardrobe, in a petty attempt to get even. One mother offered her husband absolute custody of their child, but valued the kid at *50 lakh.

Around the world, uncoupling is tricky. In Chile, divorce wasn't legal until 2004. In Japan, divorce is easy, there's child support too; but children only see the parent they live with. In the Philippines, divorce remains illegal for all but the Muslim minority. "In the US, assets acquired during the course of a marriage are taken into account at divorce, irrespective of who acquired them," Narula says.

"Indian law has no such concept." So, couples bicker over property, savings and, increasingly, the detritus of modern living. See what's up for grabs today.

Shared Netflix, Amazon, Apple and Spotify subscriptions

Seems trivial, considering how easy it is to cancel a joint plan and start a solo one in minutes, but what about all those carefully curated preferences? Young people, especially, are anguished at the idea that their playlist or wishlist, which took years to build, can vanish at the click of a button.

Curation is an art. But creating playlists is not considered intellectual property in any country. So, couples can contest payments made to the services, but can't fight over ownership of their accounts.

"Ideally, the person who originally signed up for the service and pays for it should keep the account," says Narula. Chandni Tugnait, psychotherapist and founder-director of Gateway of Healing, says that with shared accounts, couples might consider splitting any remaining subscription period fairly.

Or avoid the mess and give your playlists a fresh start, like you're doing with your life.