John
You don't show where it is specified that fossils are affected. Partword searches for foss, pal, min, geol on the link you give only seem to bring up one single comment - rather than the original. You need to link us directly to the actual proposal, not the propaganda, justified or otherwise, created by opponents. And let's not forget our mineral-loving colleagues too.
If fossils are not affected then this is not relevant to the GCG. German law can regard fossils as "cultural monuments of the earth/ground" (e.g. Land of Baden-Wuerttemberg) but at least in that case it was specifically for geology/palaeo rather than a by-product of archaeology, IIRC.
Also you don't outline the underlying reasons for this new legislation. They may be excellent for all we know (to control the huge rise in illicit importation in antiquities from the Middle and Near East war zones, for instance). Given the Museums Association codes to which almost any GCG member has to adhere as a basic professional measure, and certainly anyone working in a museum in receipt of public funds, it is entirely possible that the GCG should, on the contrary, be supporting the new legislation and urging its extension to fossils.
The import issue you mention is not relevant here. It's already in force: misleading statements of ownership, on the customs documentation for instance, are illegal.
Finally, the GCG is primarily a museum organization, not one for fossil shops and collectors. And most of us are British subjects, rather than citizens or taxpayers of the Bundesrepublik. I think you need to explain rather more before we feel able to intervene, let alone use GCG resources to promote this campaign.
Mike
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From: The Geological Curator's Group mailing list [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of John Nudds [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 10 November 2015 12:08
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Petition against new German law banning private collecting
Dear GCG member,
There is a new legislation being debated in the German Government, that, if approved would revise the Cultural Heritage Laws of the German states. The revised law could effectively end private collections in the country and close down auctions and trade shows such as the well-known and attended annual "Munich Show" by limiting private ownership of cultural items to include fossils. The new law would also include legal items brought into the country for any trade show offering "Cultural Items", and could result in potential confiscations. Immediate action is required to help prevent this bill from being passed.
Quote from the petition page, "The stipulations of the amendment of the law on the Protection of Cultural Heritage threaten the collecting of cultural objects by private individuals. This law will effect everybody specialized in traditional collecting fields, such as books, stamps, furniture, ceramics, coins, classic cars and paintings. Retroactively, this new law will impose due diligence guidelines that are impossible to follow even for the most meticulous collector. When it comes to a dispute, the law will require, by reversing the burden of proof, the owner of a "cultural good" with a value of at least 2,500 euros to provide proof as to the item's provenance for the previous 20 years; this affects "archaeological cultural goods" with a value as low as 100 euros. This is an unrealistic demand which misrepresents most of the objects that are currently traded on the domestic and the international art market in full accordance with the law as being illegal, and will result in a considerable decline in value of the objects in question."
Here is the link to the petition page:
https://www.openpetition.de/petition/online/fuer-den-erhalt-des-privaten-sammelns
The page is written in German, but there are sections in English if you scroll down the page. The petition will only be available for 70 more days, and they are asking for 120,000 signers around the world. You can sign it no matter where you live.
Thank you,
John
Dr John Nudds,
Senior Lecturer, Palaeontology,
School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences,
The University of Manchester,
Oxford Road,
MANCHESTER M13 9PL
UK
Tel. + 44 161 275 7861
See Selden, P.A. and Nudds, J.R. 2012. Evolution of Fossil Ecosystems, 2nd edition, Manson Publishing.
http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781840761603
Nudds, J.R and Selden, P.A. 2008. Fossil Ecosystems of North America. Manson Publishing.
http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781840760880
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