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Full-Text Articles in Law

Legal Complications Of Repatriation At The British Museum, Hannah R. Godwin Dec 2020

Legal Complications Of Repatriation At The British Museum, Hannah R. Godwin

Washington International Law Journal

The British Museum has been the target of criticism around the world for its failure to repatriate controversial cultural property to their respective countries of origin. In 1753, a private collector left his collection to Great Britain if it agreed to build a public museum and designate a Board of Trustees whose duty was to protect the collection for the public. Statutorily incorporating the collector’s intent, Parliament passed legislation binding the Board of Trustees to abide by certain principles, including preserving the collection and prohibiting disposal of objects, except in very few circumstances. As such, the Museum is administrated through …


Ktunaxa Nation V. British Columbia: A Historical And Critical Analysis Of Canadian Aboriginal Law, Jennifer Mendoza Jun 2020

Ktunaxa Nation V. British Columbia: A Historical And Critical Analysis Of Canadian Aboriginal Law, Jennifer Mendoza

Washington International Law Journal

Aboriginal law is a developing and emerging area of the law in Canada. In fact, Aboriginal rights were not constitutionally protected until the ratification of the Canadian Constitution in 1982. What followed was a series of precedent-setting cases that clarified what “rights” meant under Section 35 of the Constitution, how Aboriginal title and rights could be established, and what duty the federal government had to the First Nations when trying to infringe on those rights. In 2017, the Canadian Supreme Court heard Ktunaxa Nation v. British Columbia, which was the first case to interpret Aboriginal rights under Section 2(a) religious …


A Comparative Analysis: Legal And Historical Analysis Of Protecting Indigenous Cultural Rights Involving Land Disputes In Japan, New Zealand, And Hawai'i, Zachary Browning Jan 2019

A Comparative Analysis: Legal And Historical Analysis Of Protecting Indigenous Cultural Rights Involving Land Disputes In Japan, New Zealand, And Hawai'i, Zachary Browning

Washington International Law Journal

This article explores how courts in developed market economies address the tension between recognizing the rights of indigenous groups and addressing questions of land development that supposedly benefit the majority populations. Using a comparative approach, the article identifies three jurisdictions in the Pacific Rim with indigenous populations: (1) the State of Hawai‘i in the United States, (2) Japan, and (3) New Zealand and analyzes how land use courts and administrative bodies have addressed the thorny question pursuing development while fulfilling their obligations to indigenous populations. While the State of Hawai‘i has explicit state constitutional protections, Japan and New Zealand each …


"So Far As War Allows": Why The Al Mahdi Conviction Is Unlikely To Stem The Pace Of Cultural Destruction Perpetrated By Non-State Actors, Jessica E. Burrus Dec 2017

"So Far As War Allows": Why The Al Mahdi Conviction Is Unlikely To Stem The Pace Of Cultural Destruction Perpetrated By Non-State Actors, Jessica E. Burrus

Washington International Law Journal

In September of 2016, Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi was convicted in the International Criminal Court (“ICC”) for the intentional destruction of several World Heritage sites during the 2012 conflict in Timbuktu, Mali. This conviction was hailed as a breakthrough after years of frustration with the lack of enforcement of international laws prohibiting the destruction of cultural property. It was also the first conviction of its kind, and advocates of cultural preservation have celebrated it as a much-needed general deterrent in North Africa and the Middle East, where iconoclasm has become a favorite tactic of various state and non-state actors …


Australia's Heritage Protection Act: An Alternative To Copyright In The Struggle To Protect Communal Interests In Authored Works Of Folklore, Jake Phillips Aug 2009

Australia's Heritage Protection Act: An Alternative To Copyright In The Struggle To Protect Communal Interests In Authored Works Of Folklore, Jake Phillips

Washington International Law Journal

Australian indigenous communities are vulnerable to communal harm inflicted by the unauthorized, derogatory use of their works of folklore. Such works are often considered sacred to indigenous communities and are granted significant protection under customary law. However, under many circumstances, the 1968 Copyright Act, the Australian law governing authored works, fails to protect works of indigenous folklore. While an amendment to the Copyright Act appears a likely next step in Australia’s efforts to recognize a community’s interest in communal works of folklore, Australia’s Heritage Protection Act represents a more appropriate and efficient vehicle for addressing unique communal interests in these …


Safeguarding China's Cultural History: Proposed Amendments To The 2002 Law On The Protection Of Cultural Relics, Amanda K. Maus Apr 2009

Safeguarding China's Cultural History: Proposed Amendments To The 2002 Law On The Protection Of Cultural Relics, Amanda K. Maus

Washington International Law Journal

The 2002 Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics (“2002 Law”) has done little to safeguard cultural property in China. While the statute provides general procedures for relic collection, protection, and cataloging, and sets punishments for individuals and entities that violate the law, it does not furnish funding for the implementation of these measures. Amendments in 2007 failed to address the major problems of the 2002 Law—notably, the lack of incentives to return stolen or looted property and insufficient funding of the law. Due to these problems, the 2002 Law should again be amended to create a fund for the …


Aiming Straight: The Use Of Indigenous Customary Law To Protect Traditional Cultural Expressions, Meghana Raorane Sep 2006

Aiming Straight: The Use Of Indigenous Customary Law To Protect Traditional Cultural Expressions, Meghana Raorane

Washington International Law Journal

Globalization has led to the propagation of traditional cultural expressions of indigenous peoples outside their communities. Consequently, the question of how these expressions should be protected has acquired heightened significance. Commentators have proposed using existing intellectual property regimes and sui generis solutions. This Comment advocates a third solution, the use of indigenous customary laws of indigenous peoples to protect their particular traditional cultural expressions. Indigenous customary laws ensure effective protection of the traditional cultural expressions of indigenous peoples. The assumption that existing intellectual property regimes provide the only available protection is erroneous and constrains the development of effective solutions. Western …


The Cultural Property Laws Of Japan: Social, Political, And Legal Influences, Geoffrey R. Scott Mar 2003

The Cultural Property Laws Of Japan: Social, Political, And Legal Influences, Geoffrey R. Scott

Washington International Law Journal

Japan's Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties has been heralded as one of the most sophisticated and complete statutes of its kind and has been viewed as a model for other countries considering means to protect their ethnographic and cultural treasures. This Article examines the social, cultural, political, and legal influences antecedent to the promulgation of the statute and discusses the complexities inherent in composing legislation of this sort. The specific Japanese legislative and administrative efforts undertaken to protect national treasures prior to promulgation of the statute, and the political environment contemporaneous with its passage, are compiled, analyzed, and …


The Cultural Property Laws Of Japan: Social, Political, And Legal Influences, Geoffrey R. Scott Mar 2003

The Cultural Property Laws Of Japan: Social, Political, And Legal Influences, Geoffrey R. Scott

Washington International Law Journal

Japan's Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties has been heralded as one of the most sophisticated and complete statutes of its kind and has been viewed as a model for other countries considering means to protect their ethnographic and cultural treasures. This Article examines the social, cultural, political, and legal influences antecedent to the promulgation of the statute and discusses the complexities inherent in composing legislation of this sort. The specific Japanese legislative and administrative efforts undertaken to protect national treasures prior to promulgation of the statute, and the political environment contemporaneous with its passage, are compiled, analyzed, and …


Building The Korean Film Industry's Competitiveness: Abolish The Screen Quota And Subsidize The Film Industry, Carolyn Hyun-Kyung Kim May 2000

Building The Korean Film Industry's Competitiveness: Abolish The Screen Quota And Subsidize The Film Industry, Carolyn Hyun-Kyung Kim

Washington International Law Journal

Under Korean law, local theaters in Korea must show Korean films for at least 146 days each year. In 1998, this screen quota became the subject of heated debate between the United States and the Korean film industry when the United States demanded that Korea abolish it. The United States believes the quota violates free trade principles, while the Korean film industry argues that cultural products such as films cannot be equated with other commercial commodities. Cultural identities must be protected because a diversified global culture benefits all. Domestic film industries should be protected because films constitute a vehicle for …


Listing Of Tangible Cultural Properties: Expanded Recognition For Historic Buildings In Japan, Chester H. Liebs Jul 1998

Listing Of Tangible Cultural Properties: Expanded Recognition For Historic Buildings In Japan, Chester H. Liebs

Washington International Law Journal

Since the late 19th century, Japan has enacted a series of measures to protect its cultural heritage, most importantly the 1950 Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties. With subsequent amendments, the law today provides for the protection of both individual and groups of historical structures, landscapes, traditional crafts and skills, as well as national treasures. While these laws have saved many of the nation's foremost cultural resources, a substantial number of important historic structures, especially from the Meiji Period (1868) onward, have fallen through this legal safety net. This Article summarizes the evolution of Japan's cultural properties protection legislation, …


Customary Title, Heritage Protection, And Property Rights In Australia: Emerging Patterns Of Land Use In The Post-Mabo Era, Maureen Tehan Jul 1998

Customary Title, Heritage Protection, And Property Rights In Australia: Emerging Patterns Of Land Use In The Post-Mabo Era, Maureen Tehan

Washington International Law Journal

The Mabo decision represented a major doctrinal change in the relationship between Indigenous people and the settler legal system. However, significant legislative developments in land use and management recognizing some Indigenous interests in land had already laid the groundwork for joint land management schemes and concurrent land uses. These developments have formed the basis for ongoing expansion of coexistent land uses with the negotiation of formal and informal agreements for co-management of land. A range of factors influence these agreements, including the existence of enforceable property rights and non-property based heritage protection legislation. These regimes are currently in a state …


International Cultural Property: Another Tragedy Of The Commons, Claudia Caruthers Jan 1998

International Cultural Property: Another Tragedy Of The Commons, Claudia Caruthers

Washington International Law Journal

In-situ and intra-national preservation of cultural property is threatened by a highly remunerative international black market. Despite the existing nexus of both domestic and international laws drafted to halt illicit trafficking in cultural property, black markets, such as ones in Southeast Asian art and artifacts, are thriving. This Comment examines whether the existing web of laws and regulations serve, in fact, to foster, rather than discourage, the continuance and growth of the art black market. Likening the destruction of rare cultural resources to the destruction of scarce natural resources, this Comment uses Garrett Hardin's game theory tragedy of the commons …


Indigenous People: An American Perspective On The Case For Entrenchment Of Maori Rights In New Zealand Law, Jeanette Jameson Jul 1993

Indigenous People: An American Perspective On The Case For Entrenchment Of Maori Rights In New Zealand Law, Jeanette Jameson

Washington International Law Journal

The 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, signed by representatives of the British Crown and Maori Tribes, created a partnership that allowed colonization of New Zealand while protecting the Maori culture. The Treaty was declared a "nullity" in an 1877 court decision, and Maori rights under the Treaty have yet to be fully realized. Since the beginning of the 1970s, the New Zealand government has increasingly recognized the Maori culture. This Comment explores the history of the relationship between the Maori people and the New Zealand government. It analyzes current government policy on Maori issues. Fimally, it advocates for legislative entrenchment of …