Dental University Bites Back

[Mulboyne]

[dimwit]

I would love to see an account of just how much stolen art is in Japan. I have heard that the Ames Stradivarius is in Japan.

The law seems odd. I mean all you have to do is claim that you had no idea that an object of art was stolen and you get away with fencing stolen goods.

[Greji]

The law seems odd. I mean all you have to do is claim that you had no idea that an object of art was stolen and you get away with fencing stolen goods.

I don't even think they could get by with a "I didn't know" claim in most places! If something is such a rare collector's item or invaluable masterpiece, asking where it came from should be automatic. They just want to get their grubby little dickskinners on it, so they don't care whether or not it is hot!

[kamome]

I don't even think they could get by with a "I didn't know" claim in most places! If something is such a rare collector's item or invaluable masterpiece, asking where it came from should be automatic. They just want to get their grubby little dickskinners on it, so they don't care whether or not it is hot!

Yeah, I would agree that the rarity of the item alone would be enough to cause anyone who is truly buying in good faith to inquire about its origins.

[Charles]

Unfortunately for Nippon Dental University, they don't have much of a leg to stand on. Lately, Art Repatriation has been an exceptionally hot issue in International Law. There are major cases slowly working their way through the courts, mostly due to the successful legal precedents set by heirs of Holocaust victims suing to recover works looted by the Nazis. In one recent case, a group of priceless paintings by Gustav Klimt were repatriated to their rightful owner.

But more to the point, a curator for the Getty Museum is on trial in Italy, charged with the knowing acquisition of stolen antiquities. Marion True faces the same sentence as the already-convicted seller of the stolen works, 10 years in prison and a 10 million Euro fine. This case is being watched closely, and undoubtedly the Getty curator is going to be convicted. It will set another major standard for the international repatriation process.

I predict that Oxford is going to win this case. It's going to take years, but they will eventually regain possession of the stolen book.

[Greji]

]Art Repatriation has been an exceptionally hot issue in International Law.

That's a good point Charles, but I don't think that legally that dog'll hunt (should I say pig?)

The technicallity being the outright theft campared to seizure during looting or pillages of a conflict.

I think you're right that they will get it back, but I think it will probably end up coming from the embarassment delt to the dentists and/or international academic pressure.

[Charles]

Tha's a good point Charles, but I don't think that legally that dog'll hunt (should I say pig?)

The technicallity being the outright theft campared to seizure during looting or pillages of a conflict.

Well, that's why I cited the Getty case, which is more like the situation at hand. As I understand it, the antiquities were dug up from an archaeological site and smuggled out of Italy, against their current laws. This was a fairly recent sale, IIRC it is within the last couple of decades, this isn't a WWII looting case, it's relatively contemporary. But the WWII cases have established a fairly clear course of action in International Court.

On the other hand, the Brits don't have much of a leg to stand on either, considering they're fighting the repatriation of the Elgin Marbles.

Still, I think there is a case to be made in International courts, even if the local Japanese law says the dentists are off the hook. Time will tell. Oxford can afford to be patient, this is only a short blip in the provenance of a 463 year old book.