Legal Definitions - Atinian law

ATINIAN LAW

Atinian law is a Roman law that states that a prescriptive right cannot be acquired in stolen property. This law was enacted in the late third or early second century B.C. It is also known as lex Atinia.

If someone steals a car and sells it to another person, the new owner cannot claim ownership of the car under the Atinian law. Even if the new owner had the car for a long time, they cannot acquire a prescriptive right to it because it was stolen property.

The example illustrates how the Atinian law prevents people from acquiring ownership of stolen property through prescriptive rights. This law helps to discourage theft and protect the rights of the original owners.