"Anonymous, Untitled, Mixed Media": Mixing Intellectual Property Law with Other Legal Philosophies to Protect Traditional Cultural Expressions

Traditional cultural expressions are often unprotectable under existing intellectual property laws. While a sui generis approach may be appropriate for certain types of expressions and / or particular cultural communities, there may be adequate tenets embedded in current intellectual property laws and case law precedent to accommodate the needs of traditional cultures looking to protect their cultural expressions. The range of traditional cultural expressions is such that no one law–be it an existing Western law or sui generis law–will be adequate to address all the different types of cultures and expressions in existence. Case precedent from many jurisdictions and deference to specific tribal and aboriginal preferences will engender the most satisfactory results for these cultures, at least until there is adequate understanding amongst tribes and jurisdictions on an international level to create a sui generis law that is suitable for a majority of situations.