Legal protections for traditional cultural expressions: An exploratory review of literature

Introduction. Traditional cultural expressions are obviously an area of concern for Indigenous People but also for cultural heritage institutions (i.e., archives, museums and libraries) and international organizations. This review examines key literature relating to the legal protection of traditional cultural expressions in terms of international involvement, the levels of protection afforded traditional cultural expressions, and their connection with Intellectual Property law as it is currently written and understood. Method. This is an exploratory review. HeinOnline, JSTOR, and Nexis Uni were searched for articles regarding legal frameworks for traditional cultural expression protection. Analysis. The authors analysed the literature by using thematic analysis. The identified themes include international concerns about misappropriation of traditional cultural expressions. The authors also identified insufficiencies of Western IP systems in protecting traditional cultural expressions and discussed potential solutions to address these criticisms. Results. This review identifies a possibility in the literature for which legal protection of traditional cultural expressions will be improved with changes in the way traditional cultural expressions interrelate with conventional intellectual property laws. Conclusion. The numerous ethical and legal issues surrounding traditional cultural expressions can be addressed through sui generis laws and the amendment of intellectual property laws. Nevertheless, these legal frameworks do not fully address the problem of cross-border misuse of traditional cultural expressions. Therefore, an international legal framework for traditional cultural expression protection is essential to address the concern.