Restitution beyond the object: : digital and intellectual property restitution at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum Art Gallery

Around the world, countries are reforming national laws to enable the restitution of cultural property taken during colonial and imperial conquests. However, such restitution initiatives focus primarily on the return of physical artefacts, with less consideration for archival and catalogue records, analogue and digital reproductions, and the property or intellectual property rights associated with them. Rather than viewing these materials as separable from the physical artefact, this chapter argues they should also be included in claims to support digital and intellectual property restitution. It explores the significant potential for museums to initiate transfers using pathways already available in private law using areas of property, intellectual property, and contract law. It argues that possessors must re-examine the systems of law and practice typically applying to these materials to disentangle them to the greatest extent possible. The chapter contributes to this shift in thinking through research praxis with the Royal Albert Memorial Museum Art Gallery in Exeter to develop pathways for digital and intellectual property restitution and, ultimately, a more expansive restitution methodology that extends beyond the physical object.