4 ms·

Swedish court rules meteorite should stay with owner of property where it landed

38 points by Element_ 3y ago

Jensson 3y ago
If anyone could go in and steal a meteorite then you'd have a race to take it first when it falls, not something you would want to encourage. The property owner getting the meteorite therefore makes sense to maintain public order.
- sdwr 3y ago
  Yeah, that's the common sense interpretation.
- IncreasePosts 3y ago
  You could also just say it is the property of the state
  - datameta 3y ago
    Which increases friction between the state and landowners
    - IncreasePosts 3y ago
      I'm not sure why it would, though I don't know much about local Swedish politics. In the UK, any historical hordes are considered property of the crown and not the property owner, and it doesn't seem to stop treasure hunters from trying to find them or cause conflict between the crown and the property owners.
      - rlpb 3y ago
        > In the UK, any historical hordes are considered property of the crown and not the property owner, and it doesn't seem to stop treasure hunters from trying to find them or cause conflict between the crown and the property owners. UK law gives the finder and landowner market price for the treasure between them though. That makes the economics rather different than what it would be if they got nothing. Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Act_1996 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Act_1996
        fragmede 3y ago
        You're right. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detectorists https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detectorists
- hn_acker 3y ago
  > If anyone could go in and steal a meteorite Nitpick about "steal" in your hypothetical scenario: taking the meteorite wouldn't be stealing until someone claims the meteorite or until the state comes up with an "XYZ party gets ownership" rule in the first place (XYZ being the owner of the landing location in this case.)
- belter 3y ago
  From my dead cold radioactive hands....
playingalong 3y ago
Would there be a difference of an old rock which fell thousands years ago vs. a rock which fell while the owner (or their ascendants) owned the land?
- fragmede 3y ago
  How high up from the ground does it need to fall to become the property owners property? If a ring with a diamond breaks and the diamond his the ground, it doesn't automatically become the property owner's. Presumably 50 miles but I haven't read the law.
  - ambichook 3y ago
    that ring is already someone elses property, i presume this law affects only "unclaimed" falling rocks i would assume

38 points by Element_ 3y ago

If anyone could go in and steal a meteorite then you'd have a race to take it first when it falls, not something you would want to encourage. The property owner getting the meteorite therefore makes sense to maintain public order.

sdwr 3y ago
Yeah, that's the common sense interpretation.
IncreasePosts 3y ago
You could also just say it is the property of the state
- datameta 3y ago
  Which increases friction between the state and landowners
  - IncreasePosts 3y ago
    I'm not sure why it would, though I don't know much about local Swedish politics. In the UK, any historical hordes are considered property of the crown and not the property owner, and it doesn't seem to stop treasure hunters from trying to find them or cause conflict between the crown and the property owners.
    - rlpb 3y ago
      > In the UK, any historical hordes are considered property of the crown and not the property owner, and it doesn't seem to stop treasure hunters from trying to find them or cause conflict between the crown and the property owners. UK law gives the finder and landowner market price for the treasure between them though. That makes the economics rather different than what it would be if they got nothing. Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Act_1996 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Act_1996
      - fragmede 3y ago
        You're right. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detectorists https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detectorists
hn_acker 3y ago
> If anyone could go in and steal a meteorite Nitpick about "steal" in your hypothetical scenario: taking the meteorite wouldn't be stealing until someone claims the meteorite or until the state comes up with an "XYZ party gets ownership" rule in the first place (XYZ being the owner of the landing location in this case.)
belter 3y ago
From my dead cold radioactive hands....

playingalong 3y ago

Would there be a difference of an old rock which fell thousands years ago vs. a rock which fell while the owner (or their ascendants) owned the land?

fragmede 3y ago
How high up from the ground does it need to fall to become the property owners property? If a ring with a diamond breaks and the diamond his the ground, it doesn't automatically become the property owner's. Presumably 50 miles but I haven't read the law.
- ambichook 3y ago
  that ring is already someone elses property, i presume this law affects only "unclaimed" falling rocks i would assume