Intertribal Life Newspaper -

WASHINGTON-Native American artists say they continue to struggle with the theft of their work, and tribal leaders are urging Congress to strengthen the Indian Arts and Crafts Act.

IACA was passed in 1990 to prohibit any advertisement and all sales of counterfeit Indian arts and crafts. Choctaw Nation artist D.G. Smalling says the act must adapt to the new ways of buying and selling art through online sales.

"We have just a very different kind of engagement with intellectual property now," Smalling said. "This is why my principal attorney is an expert in intellectual property. It is to defend w...