A lien is a security interest or legal right acquired in one's property by a creditor, or lienholder. A lien usually prevents sale of the property until the underlying obligation to the creditor is satisfied. If the underlying obligation is...
international law
moral rights
The concept of “moral rights” refers to certain rights of authors, granted under copyright law and recognized most prevalently in civil law countries. As defined by the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, an...
most favored nation
Most favored nation refers to a status conferred by a clause in which a country promises that it will treat another country as well as it treats any other country that receives preferential treatment. Most favored nation clauses are...
multilateral
In a legal context, the term "multilateral" refers to agreements, treaties, or actions that involve or include multiple parties or nations.
Multilateral agreements are characterized by the participation and commitment of...
multilateral treaties
Multilateral treaties are treaties between multiple states, usually (though not always) denoting participation by a majority of the world's states. Multilateral treaties cover practically every substantive field of international law, from...
mutiliation
Mutilation is a war crime under international criminal law. In International Criminal Court, a prosecution for mutilation must show the following:
The victim was permanently disfigured, or else an organ or appendage was permanently...National treatment
National treatment is a legal concept requiring that foreign citizens be treated just as favorably by a country’s laws as the host country’s own citizens.
National treatment is frequently found in intellectual property law...
nullum crimen sine lege
Nullum crimen sine lege is Latin for "no crime without law." The phrase reflects the principle in criminal law and international criminal law that a person cannot or should not face criminal punishment except for an act that was criminalized...
opinio juris (international law)
Opinio juris is a shortened form of the Latin phrase “opinio juris sive necessitatis,” which means "an opinion of law or necessity."
In customary international law, opinio juris is the second element necessary to establish...
peremptory norm
Under article 53 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, a peremptory norm (also called jus cogens) is a norm of general international law that the international community of states of the United Nations has accepted and recognized...