Asian Law Voices

In this special crossover episode of Asian Law Voices and Inside Commercial Law, Professor Andrew Godwin discusses with Dr Ben Hopper the beautiful recently published book, William Ah Ket: His Life and Times, about Victoria’s first barrister of Chinese ethnicity, William Ah Ket (1876-1936). The book was written by William’s daughter, Toylaan Ah Ket, and co-edited by Professor Godwin. 

They discuss: Andrew’s involvement in the project; William’s journey from growing up in the country town of Wangaratta to studying law at the University of Melbourne; William’s fights for social justice, including against discriminatory anti-Chinese laws like the Factories Acts; family life in upper-middle class Melbourne in the interbellum period between the two world wars; and what we can learn from William’s unique and rich life and philosophy today. 

The book is available for purchase via the following link:

scholarly.info/book/william-ah-ket-his-life-and-times/

You can find out more about the Melbourne Centre for Commercial Law and the Inside Commercial Law podcast on their website: law.unimelb.edu.au/centres/mccl

Asian Law Voices presents interviews with an array of expert voices on legal issues throughout Asia, covering the law and its myriad connections with politics, culture, art, society and the everyday. Asian Law Voices is a podcast of the Asian Law Centre (ALC) and the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society (CILIS), at Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne.  

We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we record, learn, and live. 

 Follow her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafiqa-qurrata-a-yun-09008841/  

Recommended further reading: 

• A’yun, R. Q. 2026. “Blasphemy and Hate Crimes” in The Routledge Handbook on Indonesian Law, edited by S. Butt and T. Lindsey. London and New York: Routledge.  

• A’yun, R. Q. 2026. Law and Politics of Blasphemy in Indonesia: The Sacred, the State and the Ballot Box. London and New York: Routledge  

This episode discusses Japan’s adult guardianship system, outlining its four categories and its strong emphasis on court supervision and asset management.  The challenges, such as cost and limited flexibility, are also mentioned. The episode contrasts Japan’s approach with Victoria’s more individualised, rights‑based model and highlights the need for reforms that promote greater autonomy and accessibility. 

Please note that the description of the Japanese system in this episode reflects the situation at the time of Court Official Okada’s research. 

This episode is hosted by Associate Professor Stacey Steele, in conversation with Court Official Nozomu Okada. 

Court Official Nozomu Okada has been working for the Japanese courts since 2009. From June 2023, he spent one year in Victoria conducting research on its guardianship system. His earlier involvement in guardianship practice at the Kyoto Family Court for two years beginning in 2020 led him to pursue this research. Court Official Okada is serving as a Section Chief in charge of public relations in the General Affairs Division of the Osaka District Court. 

From April 2026, he will assume the position of Chief Clerk at the Osaka Summary Court. 

Asian Law Voices is a podcast of the Asian Law Centre (ALC) and the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society (CILIS), at Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne.  

Our theme music is by Melbourne Community Gamelan. 

We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we record, learn, and live. 

In this episode, the Asian Law Centre’s Director, Sarah Biddulph, talks to Ben Hopper about fan fiction and legal issues in China.

They discuss: what is fan fiction; why fan fiction poses challenges for China’s copyright laws and laws protecting personality rights; China’s first (and thus far only) fan fiction copyright lawsuit between renowned Chinese action fantasy (wuxia) author, Jin Yong, and fan fiction writer, Jiang Nan; the “227” incident that broke out on February, 27 2020 in which a fan fiction writer posted a serialised novel that contained a fictionalised romance between two actors in the TV show, The Untamed. 

Ben would like to thank Jiacheng Gong, Tina Yao, and Alice Boer-Endacott for helpful discussions on fan fiction in the lead-up to the recording of this podcast. 

This episode is hosted by Professor Sarah Biddulph, in conversation with Dr Ben Hopper. 

Ben Hopper is the Director of Studies for the intellectual property specialisation at Melbourne Law School. His research uses empirical methods to illuminate the “living law”, drawing on legal theory and broader social theory to explain the results of his empirical research, and to suggest policy reforms. Much of his empirical research on IP laws has China has its locus. He is a fan fiction aficionado, but is yet to publish his own fan fiction. 

Recommended further reading: 

• Gladys Mac, Chinese Fanfiction is Entering Into (and Upsetting) the Mainstream (Online article, 10 December 2020) <https://radii.co/article/chinese-fanfiction>, archived at <https://perma.cc/JR5P-R78B>. 

• Xu Xinming, Settlement Reached in Landmark “Jin Yong v. Jiang Nan Fanfiction Case” (Online article, 13 October 2025) <https://www.ciplawyer.com/articles/157722.html>, archived at <https://perma.cc/ZCS5-8M2D>. Note that this settlement took place, and this article was published, after this episode of Asian Law Voices was recorded. 

Asian Law Voices presents interviews with an array of expert voices on legal issues throughout Asia, covering the law and its myriad connections with politics, culture, art, society and the everyday.  

Asian Law Voices is a podcast of the Asian Law Centre (ALC) and the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society (CILIS), at Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne.  

Our theme music is by Melbourne Community Gamelan. 

We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we record, learn, and live. 

In March 2026, Indonesia’s Domestic Worker Protection Bill advanced and was formally designated an RUU Inisiatif DPR. This episode documents the long struggle for legal recognition and protection of domestic workers, examining a 2024–2025 study by The SMERU Research Institute on domestic care workers in Indonesia’s care economy, and explaining the new Domestic Worker Protection Bill. 

This episode is hosted by Ms Nurul Azizah Zayzda , in conversation with Dr Valentina Yulita Dyah Utari. 

Valentina Yulita Dyah Utari is a Senior Researcher at The SMERU Research Institute in Indonesia. She holds a PhD from the University of Western Australia and researches care work, gender and development, with current studies on domestic workers in Indonesia’s care economy, future care demand (older people care, childcare, disability care), and women’s barriers to entering the ride‑hailing industry. 

 
Follow her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentinautari52/ | SMERU: https://www.instagram.com/smeru.institute 

Recommended further reading: 

• SMERU Research Report No. 2/2026 on Investing in Care Workers: Positioning Domestic Care Workers in Indonesia’s Care Economy (forthcoming)   

• https://smeru.or.id/en/publication/future-demand-care-indonesia-philippines-vietnam (the regional report that covers the Indonesia case study) 

Asian Law Voices presents interviews with an array of expert voices on legal issues throughout Asia, covering the law and its myriad connections with politics, culture, art, society and the everyday. Asian Law Voices is a podcast of the Asian Law Centre (ALC) and the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society (CILIS), at Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne.  

Our theme music is by Melbourne Community Gamelan. 

We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we record, learn, and live. 

As the repertoires and aesthetics of contemporary protest movements evolve, elements of East Asian popular culture come into focus. The episode examines how pop culture is assigned political significance, embraced as a pro-democracy symbol, and transforms the landscape of global political activism. 

This episode is hosted by Ms Earn Asanasak, in conversation with Ms Ratu Ayu Asih Kusuma Putri. 

Ratu Ayu Asih Kusuma Putri is a PhD candidate and a 2025 Law Academic Associate at the Asian Law Centre, Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne. Her research interests focus on forced migration, migrant activism, and human rights in Southeast Asia. 

Recommended further reading: 

• East Asia’s Pop Culture in an Age of Protest https://thediplomat.com/2025/04/east-asias-pop-culture-in-an-age-of-protest/ 

• Gen Z Protesters are Uniting Behind a Manga Pirate Flag https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/19/asia/one-piece-flag-indonesia-nepal-protesters-intl-hnk-dst 

• The Aesthetics of Global Protest: Visual Culture and Communication https://cris.brighton.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/7777839/1006541_1_.pdf 

Asian Law Voices presents interviews with an array of expert voices on legal issues throughout Asia, covering the law and its myriad connections with politics, culture, art, society and the everyday.  

Asian Law Voices is a podcast of the Asian Law Centre (ALC) and the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society (CILIS), at Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne.  

Our theme music is by Melbourne Community Gamelan. 

We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we record, learn, and live. 

Taiwan is frequently described as a 'vibrant democracy,' but behind this simple phrase is a complex landscape of ever-shifting domestic politics. This episode, recorded in August 2025, delves into dynamics since President Lai took the helm in May 2024, with a focus on the 2025 Taiwanese recall votes. It also provides essential background on Taiwan’s government structure and political history. 

This episode is hosted by Dr Ben Hopper, in conversation with Professor Margaret Lewis. 

Margaret Lewis is a professor at Seton Hall Law where she previously also served as Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Institutional Operations. She has been a Fulbright Senior Scholar at National Taiwan University, a visiting researcher at Melbourne Law School’s Asian Law Centre, a visiting professor at Academia Sinica, and a delegate to the U.S.-Japan Foundation’s U.S.-Japan Leadership Program. 

Ben would like to thank Prof Jianlin Chen for a valuable discussion about Taiwanese politics in the lead-up to the recording of this podcast. 

Recommended further reading: 

• https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/china-quarterly/article/feeling-blue-public-support-for-taiwans-bluebird-movement-and-legislative-reform/E0894E8FD10C44FB9D1961D4FCF48258 OR https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/feeling-blue-are-taiwanese-youth-becoming-less-pro-independence 

• https://www.brookings.edu/articles/thinking-through-americas-baseline-priorities-on-taiwan/ 

• https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-trump-effect-on-public-attitudes-toward-america-in-taiwan-and-south-korea/ 

• https://www.crisisgroup.org/cmt/asia-pacific/taiwan-strait-china-united-states/three-body-problem-taiwan-strait 

Asian Law Voices presents interviews with an array of expert voices on legal issues throughout Asia, covering the law and its myriad connections with politics, culture, art, society and the everyday.  Asian Law Voices is a podcast of the Asian Law Centre (ALC) and the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society (CILIS), at Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne.  

Our theme music is by Melbourne Community Gamelan. 

We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we record, learn, and live.