# Droit

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{{Short description|Archaic term for rights in captured property}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Update-EB|date=March 2016}}
A '''droit''' ([French](/source/French_language) for ''[right](/source/right)'' or ''[Law](/source/Law)'') is a legal title, claim or due.

==Droits of admiralty (English law)==
The term is used in [English law](/source/English_law) in the phrase "[droits of admiralty](/source/droits_of_admiralty)".  This refers to certain customary rights or perquisites, formerly belonging to the [Lord High Admiral](/source/British_Admiralty), but now to the crown, for public purposes and paid into the [Exchequer](/source/Exchequer). These ''droits'' (see also [wreck](/source/Shipwreck)) consisted of [flotsam](/source/flotsam), [jetsam](/source/jetsam), ligan -  (goods or wreckage on the sea bed that is attached to a buoy so that it can be recovered), [treasure](/source/treasure), [deodand](/source/deodand), [derelict (maritime)](/source/derelict_(maritime)), within the admiral's jurisdiction; all [fines](/source/Fine_(penalty)), [forfeitures](/source/Forfeiture_(law)), [ransom](/source/ransom)s, [recognizance](/source/recognizance)s and pecuniary punishments; all [sturgeon](/source/sturgeon)s, [whale](/source/whale)s, [porpoise](/source/porpoise)s, [dolphin](/source/dolphin)s, [grampuses](/source/orca) and such large fishes; all ships and goods of the enemy coming into any creek, road or port, by durance or mistake; all ships seized at sea, salvage, etc., with the share of prizes such shares being afterwards called "tenths", in imitation of the French, who gave their admiral a ''droit de dixième''. The droits of admiralty were definitely surrendered for the benefit of the public by Prince [George of Denmark](/source/George_of_Denmark), when Lord High Admiral of England in 1702. [American law](/source/American_law) does not recognize any such droits, and the disposition of captured property is regulated by various acts of [Congress](/source/United_States_Congress).{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=588}}

==Other legal connexions (French law, etc.)==
The term ''droit'' is also used in various legal connexions (i.e., [French law](/source/French_law)), such as the ''droit'' of [angary](/source/angary), the ''droit d'achat'' ([right of pre-emption](/source/right_of_pre-emption)) in the case of [contraband](/source/contraband), the [feudal](/source/feudal) ''droit de bris'' (see wreck), the ''[droit de regale](/source/droit_de_regale)'' or ancient royal privilege of claiming the revenues and patronage of a vacant [bishopric](/source/Diocese), and the feudal droites of [seignory](/source/seignory) generally.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=588}}

In French, ''droit'' can mean ''the whole body of the [Law](/source/Law)'', as in the motto "[dieu et mon droit](/source/dieu_et_mon_droit)", which is to say "God and my whole body of Law."  ''Droit d'auteur'' is a term for [French copyright law](/source/French_copyright_law).<ref>{{cite web |title=Code de la propriété intellectuelle: Livre Ier: Le droit d'auteur |trans-title= Intellectual Property Code of France: Copyright Law|url= https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/section_lc/LEGITEXT000006069414/LEGISCTA000006133323/#LEGISCTA000006133323 |archive-url= https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.legifrance.gouv.fr%2FaffichCode.do%3FcidTexte%3DLEGITEXT000006069414%26dateTexte%3D20090806#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url |archive-date= 8 June 2009}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
{{Wiktionary|Droit}}
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Droit |volume=8 |page=588}}

Category:Law of France
Category:Rights
Category:English legal terminology
Category:Prince George of Denmark

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Droit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droit) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droit?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.