STOCKHOLM, Sweden — An appeals court has ruled that a land owner in Sweden can keep a meteorite found on their land after a legal battle over the space rock, according to a report by the Associated Press.
According to AP, the Svea Court of Appeals, one of six appellate courts in the Swedish legal system, ruled that the 14-kilogram (31-pound) meteorite should be considered "immovable property" and part of the land where it was found.
The meteorite reportedly landed on a private property in Uppland, Sweden, north of Stockholm, on Nov. 7, 2020. AP stated that in December 2020, the meteorite was found by two geologists and was eventually handed over to the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm.
According to Sweden's TT News Agency, Johan Benzelstierna von Engeström, the owner of the property where the meteorite was found, appealed a ruling from the Uppsala district court from December 2022 which gave the finders of the meteorite, Andreas Forsberg and Anders Zetterqvist, the right to the space rock.
The Uppsala district court reportedly ruled that the meteorite was not part of the property and was movable property without an owner.
The appeals court ruled otherwise, according to AP, saying that the meteorite was "made up of substances that are already present in the earth's surface."
Because the meteorite is made of iron, and the land where it landed also contains iron, the court ruled that the meteorite "cannot be easily separated from what is usually regarded as (immovable) property," reported AP.
Judge Robert Green reportedly stated meteorites or space rocks should be considered "part of immovable property just like other stones, even though it may intuitively feel like it is something foreign to the earth".
According to AP, a Swedish law known as "Allemansraetten" gives everyone the freedom to roam freely in Sweden on the condition that nature and animals are respected, but the court ruled that it "does not give anyone the right to take a meteorite from someone else's land".
AP stated Forsberg and Zetterqvist claimed there was an agreement that allowed them to take the meteorite, but the court said there was no evidence of the deal. AP said it is not clear whether the ruling will be appealed to Sweden's Supreme Court.
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