Res nullius is a term of Roman law meaning "things belonging to no one"; that is, property not yet the object of rights of any specific subject. A person can assume ownership of res nullius simply by taking possession of it (occupatio). The use of res nullius as a legal concept continues in modern civil legal systems.
Examples of res nullius are wild animals (ferae naturae) or abandoned property (res derelictae). Finding can also be a means of occupatio (i.e. vesting ownership), since a thing completely lost or abandoned is res nullius, and therefore belonged to the first taker. It was also used with regard to plantation of the Ards Peninsula.
See also
- Unowned property
- Hefker
References
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