The case stemmed from a 1998 austrian law that required federal museums to review their holdings for any works seized by the nazis and determine whether they were obtained without remuneration 该案同奥地利于1998年通过的一项法律有关。该法律要求各联邦博物馆重新检视其收藏品,看其中是否有由纳粹掠夺的艺术品,并确定哪些是由博物馆收藏而无人提出收回的艺术品。