Legal Definitions - nullius in bonis

nullius in bonis is a legal concept referring to something that belongs to no one. It describes property or assets that are unowned, either because they have never been claimed, have been abandoned without an identifiable owner, or are legally designated as not subject to private or sovereign ownership.

Here are some examples illustrating this concept:

• Newly Discovered Land: Imagine an uncharted island, previously unknown to any civilization, discovered by explorers in ancient times. Before any nation formally claimed sovereignty or any individual settled and established ownership, that island could be considered nullius in bonis. It was a piece of land belonging to no one, open for potential claim or use.

• Abandoned Shipwreck: Consider a very old shipwreck lying deep in international waters, whose original owners perished centuries ago and cannot be identified. If no government or individual has established a legal claim to its contents, the wreck and its cargo might be deemed nullius in bonis. It remains unowned until a salvager successfully claims it according to maritime law, thereby establishing new ownership.

• Celestial Bodies: Under modern international space law, celestial bodies such as the Moon or Mars are generally treated as nullius in bonis. This means no single nation can claim them as sovereign territory. While resources might be extracted, the bodies themselves are considered the common heritage of humankind, not subject to national appropriation, reflecting the principle that they belong to no one nation exclusively.