A common trope in comic books and other literature is the hero (or villain) who accidentally stumbles across a magical artifact or other source of power. One famous example is Tolkien’s The One Ring, but examples abound in comics as well. Alan Scott found his namesake Green Lantern in the remains of a train wreck. Dara Brighton, protagonist of The Sword, finds the namesake weapon in a hidden basement. Cain Marko, aka The Juggernaut, finds the ruby that gives him his power in a temple in Korea.
In the comics it is taken for granted that these characters are the rightful possessors of the artifacts. “Finders keepers,” right? And in the case of the Green Lantern and the Juggernaut’s ruby there also seems to be an implicit invitation to take the artifact. But what are the legal principles at work here?
