International commercial law expert, Gbenga Oduntan, has been the focus of worldwide attention after he condemned US mining rights in space.
Dr Oduntan, Senior Lecturer in International Commercial Law at the Kent Law School, commented on the issue in an article in The Conversation entitled: Who owns space? US asteroid-mining act is dangerous and potentially illegal.
The US Congress passed the Space Act of 2015 in November, an action Dr Oduntan described in his article as ‘the most significant salvo that’s been fired in the ideological battle over ownership of the cosmos’.
In The Conversation, Dr Oduntan argues that space mining provisions were environmentally risky and a violation of international law because the Act now allows states, private companies and international organisations to obtain and own natural space resources.
The piece was used by media organisations across the world – including Reuters, Japan Times, International Business Times, Gulf Daily News and China Topix. It’s also had nearly 90,000 views on the Conversation where it was most widely read in the USA, followed by India and the UK.