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Questions tagged [ownership]

Questions about ownership of property. More specific tags include real-estate, intellectual-property, common-property, community-property. More general tags include property.

Ownership concerns rights to real, personal, or intellectual property.

Topics that fall under this tag include:

  • real estate
  • chattels
  • copyright and other intellectual property
  • transfer of ownership
214 questions
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Stealing my own property back?

I have a guitar that I let my friend Joe borrow on the consensus that he would return it in a couple of days. Joe is a mutual friend of my ex Bob. Bob stole the guitar from Joe once he found out it was mine, and is now not allowing either me or Joe…
Jude
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Is there a law against destroying works of art of historic importance when you are the owner?

At work we recently had a bit of a debate about whether or not it would be legal to destroy a work of art if you are the owner of said work. A few years ago, Banksy destroyed his own painting by shredding it, and recently there have been several…
Deekay
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2 answers

If I buy a stolen item from party A, and then party A spends the proceeds, who is entitled to the item?

Is the original owner entitled to their property back while I am entitled to recover the sum paid for it from party A, or does the item somehow become rightfully mine, or... how does this all work?
Ohan
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Who owns the washing machine?

This scenario is based on a real life event but is a purely hypothetical question (because this isn't remotely worth going to court or even arguing over). The situation seems surprisingly complicated, so it made me curious what, if anything, the…
conman
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1 answer

What happens with the ownership of land where the landowner no longer exists?

When the houses in my area in England were built, a small patch of land remained unused / not build on. This was about 50 years ago. While all other land was sold off with the houses, this patch of land remained to be owned by the company that build…
TheUnpredictableETO
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What does "this software is licensed, not sold" really mean?

When paying for software, the EULA often contains the clause "This software is licensed, not sold." I'm confused on what this clause actually means regarding one's ownership of the software. I have heard two possible interpretations of this…
Reinstate Monica
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Concealing One's Identity from the Public When Purchasing a Home

I have heard, that in the United States, some individuals are able to conceal their identities from the public when purchasing a home by setting up a LLC and buying the house through the said corporation. Is this true? and can someone explain how…
DDS
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Who owns the ancient alien bases hidden underneath Antarctica?

I know most of you don't believe in "aliens," but my friend John MacQuoid believes there are underground ancient alien bases in Antarctica. Yeah, I know this sounds ludicrous, but according to John, an ancient alien species built several bases in…
Nicholas Marshall
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Do the police need probable cause or a search warrant to search a rental car being driven by someone who didnt rent the vehicle?

I'm not seeking legal advice, but rather I'm seeking others thoughts and reasoning on a case that has been disposed of already, which seems to be a violation of constitutional rights afforded to individuals against police performing illegal search…
user15669
14
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5 answers

Is there a way to prove ownership of church land?

Most Church of England land has been church property longer than the Land Registry has existed, and no results are provided on their search. Is there a way to acquire paperwork that demonstrates church ownership, for example to allow an electricity…
User65535
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14
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3 answers

Baseball caught: Ownership? Can one leave?

A spectator found the baseball of Shohei Ohtani's first home run in the bleachers. According to the linked article, she was surrounded by security and pressured to give up the ball (so that Ohtani can have the memorabilium). She was offered other…
Peter - Reinstate Monica
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When do I own a car (private sale)

Let's say I buy a car in a private sale. I pay the seller, and we fill out the change of ownership form. Some time later (or perhaps the next day), the seller will post the form, and it will probably be another day before the authorities receive and…
valiantv
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Property ownership of liquidated company

Around a decade ago the company I was working for launched a new startup. It was owned by my company and I was tasked to work as a consultant helping them set up their IT infrastructure 50% of my time. As they were using completely different setups…
Cromon
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Can a person hack bitcoin private keys and legally claim the bitcoins for himself?

First, some background knowledge — bitcoins are a form of cryptocurrency that can be stored in "addresses". Each bitcoin address is linked to a specific private key. To access bitcoins in a specific address, a person needs a private key in order to…
Anonymous
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Who owns an un-documented cellar/bunker? (UK Law)

A relative of mine purchased a house about 35 years ago. After a few years he discovered a bricked-up doorway leading to what was probably started as a WW2 bunker. It was abandoned and empty, and judging by some of the detritus (old papers, liter…
ConanTheGerbil
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