> Can a stolen item be possessed long enough for the person or entity in possession of it to rightfully be considered the owner? A true owner can recover a sto

> Can a stolen item be possessed long enough for the person or entity in possession of it to rightfully be considered the owner? A true owner can recover a stolen item from a thief who still has possession. However, if the thief sells the item to a bona fide purchaser (i.e., one who pays fair market value without knowing or having reason to know that the item was stolen), then the bona fide purchaser receives superior title to the item than that of the prior owner. So, the prior owner cannot force a court to transfer the item to him and is limited to attempting to recover the value from the thief. The idea here is that the bona fide purchaser did nothing wrong, so he should not end up the loser in the deal.