We have already defined property as anything subject to ownership.

By implication, this means that property can exist both in a state of ownership and in a state of non-ownership.

Property can also exist in a state of conflict, where there are conflicting claims as to the fact or the degree of ownership.

Thus there are three states of property:

• Unowned (virgin or dis-owned)
• Owned
• Where there is conflict over the relationship of ownership

Unowned property can exist in two ways:  property that has never been owned (virgin property), and property that was once owned and has now been dis-owned.

We usually think of unowned property as existing in wilderness areas.

Prior to the existence of man in any particular location on earth, we have said that the property in those ares is virgin.  That is to say, a condition of ownership has not yet arisen on the objects in that area.  The property is there, but no one has yet appeared who has established his ownership of that propery.

There is also property that has been owned, but for some reason is no longer owned.