Comment

• Copyright Office to advocate for regulations that would facilitate consumers’ and businesses’ right to repair their own products.
• Promoting competition in repair markets benefits consumers and businesses by making it easier and cheaper to fix things they own.
• Expanding repair exemptions can also remove barriers that limit the ability of independent service providers—including small businesses and entrepreneurs—to provide repair services.
• In their joint comment, the FTC and DOJ expressed support for renewing, expanding, and adding some specific DMCA exemptions.

• The Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are extending the deadline for the public to comment on a joint Request for Information (RFI) that seeks to understand how the practices of group purchasing organizations (GPOs) and drug wholesalers may be contributing to generic drug shortages.
• In the RFI, the FTC and HHS are seeking public comment regarding market concentration among large health care GPOs and drug wholesalers, as well as information detailing their contracting practices.
• The comment period was originally set to end on April 15, 2024.
• The Federal Trade Commission develops policy initiatives on issues that affect competition, consumers, and the U.S. economy.

• Today, Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina M. Khan announced that an open meeting of the Commission will be held virtually on Thursday, March 21, 2024.
• The open meeting will commence at 11am ET and will begin with time for members of the public to address the Commission.
• Members of the public must sign up for an opportunity to address the Commission virtually at the March 21 event.
• Follow the FTC on social media, read our blogs and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.

• The British Museum’s latest exhibition, Rediscovering Gems, displays a range of prized ancient Roman and Greek artefacts.
• The exhibition stemmed from an announcement last year that numerous pieces from the museum’s collection were missing, stolen or damaged.
• While the British Museum celebrates recovered items in its new exhibition, it has continuously refused to return historically looted items in its own collection back to countries of origin.

From irony to hypocrisy

• The objects will remain with the Asante for three to six years before having to be legally returned to the British Museum.
• Read more:
  V&A's decision to loan looted Asante gold back to Ghana has implications for other British museums

  And herein lies the hypocrisy of Rediscovering gems.

• The opening of Rediscovering gems displays an open embrace of institutional hypocrisy.
• There is no legal barrier preventing the amendment of laws enabling the permanent restitution of historically looted objects.

Beyond the British Museum

• As well as continuing to pile pressure on the British Museum and UK lawmakers, I would argue that community stakeholders and national leaders should look beyond most national museums which are prohibited by law from returning objects to countries of origin.
• This includes the Science Museum Group, Kew Gardens and Wallace Collection.
• As well as striking the loan agreement with the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum, Asante representatives also struck a deal with the Fowler Museum at the University of California in Los Angeles.
• The British Museum declined a request from The Conversation to comment on this story.

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Nathan Bossoh does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.