Legal Definitions - universitas facti

Universitas facti is a legal concept referring to a collection of individual physical items that, despite being separate, are considered and treated as a single unit for a particular purpose, often because they share a common identity or function.

• Example 1: A private art collection.

  Consider a wealthy art collector who owns hundreds of paintings, sculptures, and other artworks. While each piece is a distinct physical object, the entire "art collection" might be legally treated as a single entity when the collector's estate is being settled or when the collection is insured. The individual artworks are grouped together as one valuable asset, rather than being treated as entirely separate items for every legal transaction.

• Example 2: A vineyard's stock of wine barrels.

  Imagine a winery that possesses hundreds of oak barrels, each containing wine at various stages of aging. Although each barrel is a separate physical container, the winery's "stock of aging wine" or "barrel inventory" could be considered a universitas facti. For instance, if the vineyard is sold, the entire collection of barrels and their contents might be transferred as a single, integral part of the business's assets, rather than itemizing each individual barrel in the sales agreement.

• Example 3: A fleet of rental bicycles.

  A city bike-sharing program operates thousands of bicycles distributed across various docking stations. Each bicycle is a distinct physical item. However, for purposes of asset management, insurance, or a potential sale of the entire business, the "fleet of rental bicycles" is often regarded as a universitas facti. The bikes are treated collectively as the core operational asset of the service, rather than managing each bicycle as a completely independent unit in every legal context.