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03 October 2025 / Michael L Nash
Issue: 8133 / Categories: Features , Profession , International
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Request, recovery & return: an update (Pt 2)

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From looted Nazi gold to the Elgin Marbles, Michael L Nash continues his series on possession vs ownership

In brief

  • The article explores the evolving issues distinguishing possession from ownership, especially in cases involving artefacts of cultural, and historical value—often complicated by national boundaries, wartime looting and shifting political contexts.
  • From looted Nazi gold to the Elgin Marbles and Ethiopian artefacts, there is a tangled web of claims, counterclaims and diplomatic tensions surrounding the rightful ownership and repatriation of artefacts.

In Part 1, we considered treasure at the bottom of the sea and looted jewels (see NLJ, 5 September 2025, p20). In this concluding part, we start with ‘the Sherlock Holmes of Nazi loot’, Christopher Marinello. For 30 years, he has been tracking down stolen masterpieces, such as paintings by Picasso, Matisse and Andy Warhol. So successful is he that insurance firms, auction houses, museums, private collectors and police forces worldwide turn to him when their efforts have not produced results. In

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The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ

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The long-running Mazur saga edged towards its finale as the Court of Appeal heard arguments on whether non-solicitors can ‘conduct litigation’. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School reports from a packed courtroom where 16 wigs watched Nick Bacon KC argue that Mr Justice Sheldon had failed to distinguish between ‘tasks and responsibilities’
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Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
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As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
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