Cartouches, Catalogs, & Courtrooms: Using a Recent Legal Challenge in Egyptian Court to Examine Unanswered Questions in Cultural Heritage
Lawrence Keating
Note
Cartouches, Catalogs, & Courtrooms: Using a Recent Legal Challenge in Egyptian Court to Examine Unanswered Questions in Cultural Heritage
Lawrence Keating
Note
The full text of this Note may be found here.
32 Fordham Intell. Prop. Media & Ent. L.J. 225 (2021).
Note by Lawrence Keating*
ABSTRACT
[A]
ncient Egypt is known to the world for its rich culture steeped in arcane mysticism and for the dazzling treasures it left behind, which now populate the world’s most prominent cultural institutions. These and other cultural heritage objects, which capture and inspire masses as easily today as they did in their own time, are subject to growing controversy over their protection and utilization. As this debate moves from academic circles to the arena of public discourse, the need to revise legislation controlling cultural heritage objects is becoming increasingly clear. This Note uses a recent law- suit concerning an international exhibition of artifacts from the tomb of King Tutankhamun as a case study to explore this discussion and draw conclusions about how to best serve the aims of cultural heritage law. This Note then recommends adopting the Egyptian government’s approach in amending its patrimony law to provide specialists with increased discretion to manage the wealth of cultural heritage objects under its control.
*J.D. candidate in the Evening Division at Fordham University School of Law, a former staff member of the Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal, and formerly President of the Fordham Art Law Society. He holds a B.B.A. in Finance and a minor in Art & Art History from the College of William & Mary. Thank you to my family for their unwavering encouragement and patience. Thank you to Professor Martin Flaherty for his guidance and perspective. Thank you to Professor Leila Amineddoleh for inspiring this paper and for generously sharing her time, expertise, and mentorship. Thank you to Sara Mazurek and Nicole Kim, as well as the Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal staff, for their superb editorializing. A final thanks to my friends, whose occasional distraction from mummies and marbles was a talisman against ennui during an exceedingly unconventional year.