Terminological Aspects Concerning Three-Dimensional Real Property

• This article discusses terminological aspects concerning definitions of three-dimensional (3D) real property.The authors have noticed that researchers from different countries, and even within the same country, use different terminology when describing 3D property. Neither have any general international definition of 3D property been encountered which is possible to use internationally to differentiate forms of 3D property. The aim of this article is to discuss terminological aspects of 3D property, resulting in a working definition of 3D property. The definition is tested and validated against other 3D property definitions encountered internationally.The basic aspects of terminology in general and legal terminology in particular are studied as a foundation for discussions on forms of 3D property rights and 3D property terminology. Examples of various terms used internationally, in different countries and legal families, are presented, showing the variety and difficulties with standardising the terminology. The problem of existing inconsistent terminology used today is addressed by applying methods from the field of terminology within the 3D real property domain. An overview of 3D property and property rights and what characterizes each of them is also presented. Thereafter the terminological principles are applied on a survey of 3D property rights to create a working definition for 3D property.Based on the validation, it can be concluded that the studied definitions all have shortcomings from a legal perspective, such as being too narrow or too wide, focusing on use rather than on object, or describing the physical object instead of the legally defined 3D object. This shows that it is difficult finding an accurate and internationally valid definition of 3D property. The authors believe that using unified terms and definitions will act towards a common understanding and thus further the establishment of a domain specific ontology within the field of 3D property.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Juridik -- Juridik och samhälle (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Law -- Law and Society (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Three dimensional real property

definition

terminology

ontology

standardization

Publication and Content Type

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