title by occupancy
1
: a legal right of property acquired by taking the first possession of a thing or possession of a thing which belonged to nobody and appropriating it
2
: sovereignty acquired in international law by a political state over territory not under the dominion of another state by effective exercise of control (as by settlement or by air patrol) and by public proclamation of the extent of the territory involved
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“Title by occupancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/title%20by%20occupancy. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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