Cultural Heritage Law Commons^™

Indigenous Law And Its Contribution To Global Pluralism, James Anaya

Publications

No abstract provided.

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 …

Two Spirits, Two Eras, Same Sex: For A Traditionalist Perspective On Native American Tribal Same-Sex Marriage Policy, Jeffrey S. Jacobi

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Recently, several states amended their constitutions to define marriage as only a union between a man and a woman. Many Native American Indian tribal governments thereafter also adopted laws prohibiting homosexual marriages. However, this new policy conflicts with traditional tribal values. This Note shows that historically many tribes accepted and even honored same-sex unions. This Note proposes that tribes consider their traditions as they existed before European contact, and argues that, for some tribes, same-sex civil unions are a historically and culturally appropriate answer to the modern objections to same-sex marriage.

Can Copyright Lend Its Cinderellaic Magic To Chinese Folklore?, 5 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 203 (2006), Deming Liu

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Folklore in China is disappearing and facing challenges for its very survival. To salvage folklore in China, some have called for immediate legislative action and proposed the law of copyright or sui generis protection as some potential solutions. However, copyright is traditionally concerned with the creations of individuals rather than the cumulative creations of an ethnic group or region. Furthermore, even sui generis protection, which is better adapted to folklore in theory, could be susceptible in practice to the abuses of private monopolies or state tyranny. Overall, the protection of folklore depends more on a consistent governmental policy of open-mindedness …

Some Remarks On The Limits Of Harmonization, 5 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 596 (2006), Graeme B. Dinwoodie

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Some Remarks on the Limits of Harmonization

Traditional Knowledge And The Fight For The Public Domain, 5 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 317 (2006), Doris E. Long

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

What are the challenges facing the protection of traditional knowledge internationally? Can the protection of such rights, which have traditionally existed outside the boundaries of intellectual property, be achieved in the face of current challenges to protections epitomized by such emerging international movements as enhanced access to information and culture as a human right? This article examines some of the emerging issues in this hotly contested area and suggests that such movements, which are not adverse to intellectual property and traditional knowledge rights, should be used to craft a new method for addressing the issue of traditional knowledge protection internationally.

The Current State Of International Law, S. James Anaya

Publications

No abstract provided.

Introduction: The Power Of Stories: Gloucester Tales, Susan Ayres

Faculty Scholarship

For a second year, scholars made a pilgrimage to Gloucester for a three-day academic conference sponsored by Texas Wesleyan Law School, the University of Gloucestershire, and the Central Gloucester Initiative. This year's conference theme, "The Power of Stories: Intersections of Law, Culture and Literature," was inspired by the medieval folktale about Dick Whittington and his cat. While the City of Gloucester planned various events to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the folktale, such as a re-enactment of Dick Whittington's pilgrimage from Gloucester to London, conference organizers in both the United States and England planned a thought-provoking conference.

They did not …

"Straight Stealing": Towards An Indigenous System Of Cultural Property Protection, Angela R. Riley

Washington Law Review

Incidents involving theft of indigenous peoples' traditional knowledge and the blatant appropriation of culture have become more widely acknowledged in recent decades. It is now apparent that international, national, and tribal laws must work together to protect the cultural property of indigenous groups. However, tribal law, which provides vital cultural context, must serve as the foundation. Unlike top-down legal systems, tribal laws reflect tribal economic systems, cultural beliefs, and sensitive sacred knowledge in nuanced ways that national and international regimes simply cannot. Accordingly, this Article offers two central reasons why the development of tribal law is critical for indigenous peoples …

How We Lost Our Moral Rights And The Door Closed On Non-Economic Values In Copyright, 5 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 1 (2005), Susan P. Liemer

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

The Visual Artists Rights Act (“VARA”) is a piece of modern legislation preceded by a rich history, with a significant gap. As early as the 1400’s, patents were offered as economic incentive to develop new processes in the trades and applied arts. By the 1700’s, the Statute of Anne became the first statute to protect the literary work of individual creators. The Engravers’ Act of 1735 soon followed, expanding this protection to include the first works of visual art and providing the precursor to the modern right of integrity. Millar v. Taylor was the landmark case that alluded to moral …

The Choice Between Civil And Criminal Remedies In Stolen Art Litigation, Jennifer A. Kreder

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Article analyzes the patchwork of legal remedies available to persons claiming ownership of Nazi-looted art. This Article demonstrates that the use of the NSPA via criminal prosecutions or civil forfeiture proceedings provides a claimant with great advantages over the present-day possessors of the art. Part II analyzes the criminal remedies used to punish thieves and restore the art to its original owners or their heirs. Part III analyzes the use of the civil forfeiture mechanism--a hybrid of criminal and civil remedies--in pursuit of restoring art to claimants.

Part IV concludes that criminal prosecutions or civil forfeiture proceedings premised on …

Globalization And National Culture: Recent Trends Toward A Liberal Exchange Of Cultural Objects, Kurt G. Siehr

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

In discussing trends toward liberal exchange of cultural objects, it must be stressed that the exchange should be a legal exchange. This, however, is not easy to define because legal systems differ with respect to the qualifications of legality of art trade. Since United States v. Schultz, there is less of a disparity between Europe and the United States as to the characterization of illegal excavations as a kind of theft in countries claiming that archaeological finds are state property. Also, with respect to export prohibitions, there is not much disagreement so far: in all countries, foreign export prohibitions are …

Indigenous Peoples' Rights To Water Under International Norms, David H. Getches

Publications

In this article, Dean Getches examines the nature of international law as it relates to indigenous water rights and evaluates the kinds of claims that native peoples might assert when they are deprived of access to water. Around the world, indigenous peoples have experienced depletion or pollution of their traditional water sources caused by the uses made by dominant, non-native societies. As a result, native peoples' ability to perform water-dependent vocations like farming and fishing, and to perpetuate cultures and spiritual practices requiring water is limited. While a few countries recognize water rights of indigenous peoples in their domestic laws, …

Book Review, S. James Anaya

Publications

No abstract provided.

The Curb Center At Vanderbilt: Panel Discussion On Federal Regulation And The Cultural Landscape, Office Of The Ustr, And Popular Media, Bill Ivey

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This is the Curb Center's first conference. I'm delighted that it's on this topic because it really goes to the heart of what this center is all about. That is, we are looking at a specific kind of content in the U.S. cultural policy world. We are looking at policies and practices of America's arts industries, at legislation, and regulation as the combined sources of U.S. cultural policy. We are also going at it with, I think, a very special and novel kind of process. We are determined to be dedicated to the process of connecting scholars and industry leaders …

Individual Aboriginal Rights, John W. Ragsdale Jr.

Michigan Journal of Race and Law

This Article will, in Section I, deal with the legal development of the concept of individual aboriginal rights. It will focus on the Western Shoshone land claims before the Indian Claims Commission, and the federal government's trespass claims against the ranching operations of the redoubtable, irrepressible Dann sisters. Section II will explore the development and utilization of the doctrine of individual aboriginal rights in a series of cases involving the Dann sisters, subsequent Western Shoshone, and other efforts by native people to secure subsistence hunting and fishing rights and possession of or access to sacred sites. Section III will explore …

International Human Rights And Indigenous Peoples: The Move Toward The Multicultural State, S. James Anaya

Publications

No abstract provided.

Time For A Change - The Kennewick Man Case And Its Implications For The Future Of The Native American Graves Protection And Repatriation Act, Ryan M. Seidemann

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Traditional Knowledge, Intellectual Property, And Indigenous Culture: An Introduction, Peter K. Yu

Faculty Scholarship

Human communities have always generated, refined and passed on knowledge from generation to generation. Such "traditional" knowledge" [sic] is often an important part of their cultural identities. Traditional knowledge has played, and still plays, a vital role in the daily lives of the vast majority of people. Traditional knowledge is essential to the food security and health of millions of people in the developing world. In many countries, traditional medicines provide the only affordable treatment available to poor people. In developing countries, up to 80% of the population depend on traditional medicines to help meet their healthcare needs. In addition, …

Spiritual But Not Intellectual? The Protection Of Sacred Intangible Traditional Knowledge, Daniel J. Gervais

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

The use of sacred aboriginal art is nothing new. It is fairly common to see dream catchers hanging from rear view mirrors in cars. In Australia, sacred aboriginal designs are often found on tea towels, rugs and restaurant placemats. In the United States, people routinely Commercialize Navajo rugs containing both sacred and profane designs with no connection to the Navajo nation. Millions of dollars of Indian crafts imported from Asia are sold in the United States each year. Another example is the taking of sacred Ami chants by the German rock group Enigma for its song Return to Innocence. Can …

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

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 …

Past Cultural Achievement As A Future Technological Resource: Contradictions And Opportunities In The Intellectual Property Protection Of Chinese Medicine In China, 21 Ucla Pac. Basin L.J. 75 (2003), Benjamin Liu

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Protecting The Rights Of Indigenous Cultures Under The Current Intellectual Property System: Is It A Good Idea?, 3 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 88 (2003), Juan Andrés Fuentes

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Globalization and digital communication trends have provided new avenues and incentives for the commercial use of the folkloric artwork of indigenous peoples. Such commercial uses, however, have occurred largely without any creative control or financial benefit inuring to the original creators, people, or tribe of whom the artistic works form an integral part of their culture. Since much of the works are owned by a community as a whole, as opposed to being owned by individuals, it is difficult to fit such works into an intellectual property regime that is based on laws formed around Western notions of art and …

The Draft Hague Convention On Jurisdiction And Enforcement Of Judgments And The Internet-A New Jurisdictional Framework, 36 J. Marshall L. Rev. 223 (2002), Kristen Hudson Clayton

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

“Democratizing” Globalization: Practicing The Policies Of Cultural Inclusion, 10 Cardozo J. Int'l & Comp. L. 217 (2002), Doris E. Long

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Trends. Spinning Buddhas, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the March 2001 destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan by the Taliban.

Protection Of Traditional Knowledge, Srividhya Ragavan

Faculty Scholarship

Knowledge has been the most coveted possession of mankind since the industrial revolution. The industrial boom after the World Wars has highlighted the importance of the so-called intellectual knowledge. Recently, the importance of knowledge that has been in the public domain (and, therefore, accessible) has come into question. The pattern of evolution of society, has been marked by a process by which the societies in developed countries have moved towards a more technological orientation. Consequentially, some traditional knowledge, including traditional practices, has been left behind and newer practices that are better, or at least considered better, are being used. Knowledge …

The Seattle Art Museum: A Good Faith Donee Injured In The Restoration Of Art Stolen During World War Ii, 34 J. Marshall L. Rev. 613 (2001), Courtney S. Perkins

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Future Of The Antiquities Act, James R. Rasband

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.