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Posted by: Anna Price
On December 15, 2021, the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia upheld an administrative decision finding that, in the United States, “gruyere” is a generic term for a type of cheese, and therefore ineligible for legal protection through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Gruyère is a geographic region of Switzerland …
Posted in: Law Library
Posted by: Elin Hofverberg
Sunday, February 6, marks the Sámi National Day. The Sámi people are indigenous to Sápmi, an area that spans across northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. The holiday inspired me to write a post about the recent return of a Sámi Drum to Norway. Last month, the Danish government transferred the legal ownership …
Posted in: Global Law, In the News
Posted by: Ruth Levush
A recent Law Library of Congress report describes the parliamentary document process in 10 jurisdictions around the world. The report, titled the Lifecycle of Parliamentary Documents, summarizes the findings of research conducted by foreign law specialists in the Law Library’s Global Legal Research Directorate based on legal sources from the jurisdictions surveyed. The report is …
Posted in: Global Law, Legal Reports
Posted by: Robert Brammer
One of the things that makes the Law Library of Congress so unique is its specialty in foreign, comparative, and international law. It often surprises people to learn that the majority of the Law Library’s collection is in a language other than English. The Law Library’s foreign law collections developed as the United States assumed …
Posted in: Law Library, Legal Reports
Posted by: Jennifer Davis
If your family celebrates Christmas and expects a visit from Santa Claus, you and yours are hoping for a successful visit from the jolly old elf and his reindeer. Local, federal and foreign governments are doing their regulatory best to speed his mail and ease his journey across borders with foreign livestock, regardless of his …
Posted in: Collections, Law Library
Posted by: Kelly Goles
The following is a guest post by Clare Feikert-Ahalt, a senior foreign law specialist at the Law Library of Congress covering the United Kingdom and several other jurisdictions. Clare has written numerous posts for In Custodia Legis, including 100 Years of “Poppy Day” in the United Kingdom; Weird Laws, or Urban Legends?; FALQs: Brexit Referendum; and The UK’s Legal Response to the London …
Posted in: Guest Post, Law Library, Legal Reports
Posted by: Jenny Gesley
This post describes the history, jurisdiction, and selection of justices of the German Federal Constitutional Court on the occasion of its 70th anniversary.
Posted in: Global Law, In the News
Posted by: Jenny Gesley
This blog post describes the "Fuggerei" in Augsburg, Germany - the oldest existing social housing complex in the world. The Fuggerei was established on August 23, 1521 by Jakob Fugger "the Rich," a wealthy merchant. In order to be eligible for housing, a person must be Catholic, needy, respectable, and a citizen of Augsburg. The yearly rent is Euros 0.88.
Posted in: Global Law, In the News
Posted by: Jenny Gesley
My favorite week of the year is “Fat Bear Week,” an annual competition organized by Katmai National Park in Alaska to crown the bear that managed to pack on the most weight over the summer. Bears are fascinating animals to me, which might also have to do with the fact that I am from Germany, …
Posted in: In the News