Finders, keepers

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Finders, keepers" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Finders, keepers, sometimes extended as the children's rhyme finders, keepers; losers, weepers, is an English adage with the premise that when something is unowned or abandoned, whoever finds it first can claim it for themself permanently. The phrase relates to an ancient Roman law of similar meaning and has been expressed in various ways over the centuries. The 1982 English Court of Appeal case Parker v British Airways Board expanded the phrase, with the judgement of Donaldson L.J. declaring "Finders keepers, unless the true owner claims the article".^[1] Difficulties arise when exploring how best to define when exactly something is unowned or abandoned, which can lead to legal or ethical disputes, especially as jurisdictions often differ in their approach.^{[citation needed]}