A major problem in the Indigenous arts industry is the reproduction of Indigenous art and designs without permission from the artist. Businesses seeking to make products that include Indigenous artwork should use licensing agreements to ethically and respectfully engage with Indigenous artists. Licencing arrangements allow Indigenous artists to authorise others to reproduce their work whilst they retain the copyright. It can enable the artist to gain exposure and develop ongo

Introduction Fake Aboriginal Art has been the bane of the Indigenous Arts Industry. Rip-offs take opportunity and money away from Indigenous artists. However, even worse, stylised faux objects demean the cultural heritage of Indigenous Australians. In October 2018, the Federal Court delivered an important judgement against souvenir manufacturer, Birubi Art Pty Ltd[1] finding that they had mislead consumers under Australian Consumer Law (ACL) .[2] This case has ramifications

My presentation at the WIPO Seminar in Geneva This June, I travelled to Geneva to attend the WIPO Seminar on Intellectual Property and Traditional Cultural Expressions. The seminar was held by WIPO, the World Intellectual Property Organisation and it focused on policy issues for Indigenous Intellectual Property and Traditional Cultural Expressions. I spoke in the Roundtable discussion on Key Policy Issues and I was able to present my ideas. A big problem with existing intelle

The best thing about Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) is that it showcases the authentic works of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from all over Queensland including the Cape and the Torres Strait. In a tourist town, where there have been so many reported fake souvenir arts and craft items such as bamboo didgeridoos, hand painted backpacker boomerangs and copycat t-shirts, it’s good to see the crowds flocking to CIAF. This year the message that Fake Arts Harms C