Finders keepers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the quasi-legal concept, for other meanings see Finders Keepers (disambiguation)
Finders, keepers is the doctrine that says when something is unowned or abandoned, whoever finds it can claim it (from an old Scottish saying "Finders keepers, losers weepers"). Of particular difficulty, of course, is how best to define when exactly something is unowned or abandoned, which can lead to legal or ethical disputes.
One of the most common uses of "Finders, Keepers" involves shipwrecks. Under international maritime law, for shipwrecks of a certain age, the original owner may have lost all claim to the cargo. Anyone who finds the wreck can then file a salvage claim it and place a lien on the vessel, and subsequently mount a salvage operation.
Occasionally, in the case of winning lottery tickets, someone else will claim to be the true owner. Assuming that this is true, the possessor of the ticket can claim that the original owner abandoned the ticket, thus laying the groundwork for a "finders, keepers" claim.
When a modest amount of cash is found in a busy area where the loser cannot be identified or there is no authority or customer service over the public area, the finders keepers concept generally applies.
Philosophies that advocate a right to own land and other natural resources often appeal to the doctrine of finders keepers in the case of claiming ownership of what was previously unowned (see Terra nullius).
[edit] See also
- Lost, mislaid, and abandoned property
- Adverse possession ("possession is nine-tenths of the law")
