Art law is a multidisciplinary area of law which encompasses different legal disciplines that allow for the regulation and protection of the use, creation, and marketing of art. Art law does not have its own separate and unified jurisprudence. Rather, it includes the discipline of copyright, theft, fraud, tort, tax, commercial, international, contract, and intellectual property law to name a few. It covers areas of fine art and the visual arts and is closely related to, and frequently overlaps, cultural property law.
Cultural Property/Heritage (terms used interchangeably) Law is also a multidisciplinary area of law which regulates and protects culturally significant material such as historical artifacts, artwork, and even intangible cultural property. It must have special significance to a defined group or people and does not matter if that group is vested with a traditional property interest.
This research guide was created by reference intern Robyn McAllen (MLS December 2013) and Jennifer Morgan (Government Documents Librarian).