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Costa Rican Archaeologist with Dodgy History Acquitted of Smuggling

October 24, 2013

Costa Rican citizen and Munich resident Leonard Patterson has been acquitted of charges of attempting to smuggle 1,400 pieces of pre-Columbian art from Spain to Germany. The Latin-American Herald Tribune report is reproduced below, although the Spanish website El Universal has a much more detailed (and interesting) version of the story. Of particular interest are […]

Roman Bust Stolen from Church in Spain Resurfaces

July 29, 2013

The Art Newspaper reports — A fourth century bust of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, stolen from a small church in the north west of Spain, has been recovered by the Guardia Civil, Spain’s national police force has announced. Six people have been detained after an operation that focused on Seville in the south. Climbing […]

Spain Seeks $4 Million in Fees from Odyssey Marine in Black Swan Case

April 20, 2012

Spain has filed a motion to recover fees and costs of approximately $4 million in the “Black Swan” case. According to the Local Admiralty Rule 7.03-(g), Spain should have petitioned for fees at the same time it moved to have the arrest vacated, which it never did. In the motion for fees, Spain argues that […]

UNESCO Recognizes Intangible World Heritage, Including Mariachi Music

December 5, 2011

At a meeting in Bali, Indonesia, UNESCO added 19 new demonstrations to the list of intangible world heritage, including mariachi music, French horseback riding, and Chinese shadow puppetry. UNESCO also added another 11 displays of intangible cultural heritage that are in “need of urgent safeguarding.” Yaokwa, a ritual of the Enawene Nawe people for maintaining […]

European Commission Renews Efforts to Protect Cultural Artifacts

December 2, 2011

The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, is renewing its efforts to keep track and prevent the loss of cultural artifacts. It announced on November 29 that there will be a consultation relating to a new idea of how to prevent the illicit trafficking of cultural items being removed from member-states. Other […]

State Department Leak in the Black Swan Case

December 16, 2010

Here’s an interesting twist to the Black Swan litigation we’ve been following here on CPAL: WikiLeaks cables show that U.S. diplomats sought to broker a deal whereby U.S. embassy officials stationed in Spain would provide confidential customs documents prepared by Odyssey to the Spanish government. In exchange, Spain was to assist U.S. efforts to reclaim […]

Oral Arguments Scheduled in Black Swan Case

November 9, 2010

We’ve been following the Black Swan case fairly closely here on the Cultural Property & Archaeology Law Blog, and in the last month or two I’ve been getting emails and comments asking what’s going on in the case. But, finally! There is news to report! Oral arguments have been scheduled on Odyssey Marine Exploration’s appeal […]

Spain Scrambles to Claim Abandoned Underwater Sites

October 12, 2010

From a Guardian.uk article, Spanish Armada Sets Sail to Claim Deep-Sea Treasure: Spain has sent an armada into waters around its coasts to seek out hundreds of shipwrecks in an attempt to head off a US marine exploration firm [Odyssey Marine] accused of plundering Spanish property from the seabed. Over the past month, more than […]

High Seas Shipwreck Pits Treasure Hunters Against a Sovereign Nation

June 3, 2010

The Cultural Heritage and Arts Review (a publication of the American Society of International Law) has been kind enough to publish an article I wrote titled, “High Seas Shipwreck Pits Treasure Hunters Against a Sovereign Nation: The Black Swan Case.” The article covers the litigation between Odyssey Marine Exploration, Spain, and Peru, over the wreckage […]

Cultural Property Law on March 10, 2010: Bullfighting, Shaolin Monks, Shipwrecks, et al.

March 10, 2010

I’m going to try a new format, only a little bit inspired from Derek Fincham’s occasional “Footnotes” format. It is also inspired by my seeing all these great news bites when I go through my reader in the morning and not having the time to give you witty commentary on them all. Without further adieu, […]