Res nullius

Res Nullius – Definition A thing wich has no owner.

A thing which has been abandoned by its owner is as much res nullius as if it had never belonged to any one.

2. The first possessor of such a thing becomes the owner, res nullius fit primi occupantis. Bowy. Com. 97.

Res nullius is not subject to the territorial jurisdiction of any state but susceptible of national appropriation. (e.g. The Antarctic)