Possession (law)

In law, possession is the exercise of dominion by a person over property to the exclusion of others. To possess something, a person must have an intention to possess it and an apparent purpose to assert control over it. A person may be in possession of some piece of property without being its owner. The possession of property is commonly regulated under the property law of a jurisdiction. An intention to possess (sometimes called animus possidendi) is the other component of possession. All that is required for this criterion is an intention to possess something for the time being. In common law countries, the intention to possess a thing is a question of fact that can be proven by acts of control and surrounding circumstances. It is possible to intend to possess something and to actually possess it without knowing that it exists. For example, someone who intends to possess a suitcase also intends to possess its contents even if they are unknown. It is important to distinguish between the intention sufficient to obtain possession of a thing and the intention required to commit the crime of possessing something illegally, such as banned drugs, firearms or stolen goods.