Literary Heirs Cause Trouble Week

Since no one else has linked these two stories (as far as I've seen), I guess it's my duty.

Compare and contrast:

• Stephen James Joyce impedes serious scholarship of his grandfather's work.
• Blake Smyle and Thomas Steinbeck gain control of the copyright on ten John Steinbeck works.

Besides the fact that Joyce is a jerk, and Smyle and Steinbeck aren't (or, at least, they haven't been reported to be), is there any real reason why one of these stories is being played as good for literature and the other as bad? (I really want to know, because my instinct is exactly the same way.)