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law

vr.tr.law · thing-q7748

Let an agent treat a legal rule as something with a source, a jurisdiction, a period of validity and an interpretation, never as a free-floating statement of what is allowed.

Thing Registry Information and virtual systems INF.KNW
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Source and authority Where the rule comes from and what it outranks.

Source and designation

The issuing authority and the official designation.

Source of the rule

Who made it, in which instrument, under which power.

  1. Which authority made this rule, in which instrument, and under what power? provenance
  2. What is its official designation, and where is the authoritative text published? provenance

Place in the hierarchy

What it overrides and what overrides it.

Hierarchy of norms

Its rank relative to other applicable rules.

  1. What rank does this rule hold, and which higher rules constrain it? definition
  2. How is a conflict with another rule of the same rank resolved? boundary
Scope and validity Where, when and to whom it applies.

Jurisdiction and addressees

The territory and the persons covered.

Scope of application

Where and to whom it applies.

  1. In which jurisdiction does this rule apply, and to whom? boundary
  2. Which exemptions or special regimes take cases out of its scope? boundary

Validity in time

Entry into force, amendment and repeal.

Temporal validity

The dates and versions that matter.

  1. Which version was in force on the date that matters here? provenance
  2. Is any part of it suspended, under challenge or scheduled to change? boundary
Interpretation and application What it means for particular facts.

Authoritative interpretation

Case law and official guidance.

Interpretive sources

The decisions and guidance that settle meaning.

  1. Which court decisions or official guidance interpret this rule? provenance
  2. Where is its meaning contested, and between whom? boundary

Application to facts

Bringing the rule to a situation.

Application limits

What an agent may and may not conclude.

  1. What facts decide whether this rule applies in a given case? definition
  2. At what point must an agent refer the question to a qualified professional? action
Compliance and enforcement What it requires and what happens on breach.

Duties and rights

What it requires, forbids or grants.

Operative content

The obligations and entitlements it creates.

  1. What does this rule require, forbid or permit, and of whom? definition
  2. What evidence would show compliance? measurement

Enforcement and remedies

Sanctions, remedies and who enforces them.

Consequences of breach

The sanctions and remedies and the bodies that apply them.

  1. What sanctions or remedies follow a breach, and who applies them? definition
  2. What time limits apply to enforcing it? boundary

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Information and virtual systems
Entry kind
thing
Plane
INF
Domain
INF.KNW
Other names and narrower kinds
Head of Household, Law Courts, legal jurisdiction, constitutional review, constitutional litigation, Constitutional review in Germany, Islamic clothing, Tasattur, penal system, England and Wales, interstate compact, juvenile law (Germany)

What it is Filled

A body of binding rules made or recognised by an authority, enforced by institutions, and applying within a jurisdiction to those it covers.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent treat a legal rule as something with a source, a jurisdiction, a period of validity and an interpretation, never as a free-floating statement of what is allowed.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Binding and enforceable, which separates it from ethics, guidance and custom without legal recognition
  • Bounded by jurisdiction and by time: it applies somewhere, to someone, from one date to another
  • Hierarchical: a constitution, a statute and a regulation do not carry equal weight
  • The text and its interpretation by courts are both part of what the law is

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Present general information as legal advice for a person's specific case.
  • Cite repealed, amended or foreign law as if it applied.
  • Help someone evade a law or defeat its enforcement.
  • Invent statutes, cases or citations.

Only with a human decision

  • Filing legal documents or taking legal steps on someone's behalf.
  • Relying on an interpretation of law for a decision that affects a person's rights.

May

  • Cite a law by its official designation, version and jurisdiction.
  • Explain what a law says in general terms, stating its source and date.
  • Flag when a question needs a qualified lawyer.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Law decides people's rights and liberties; error or misstatement can cost them dearly.
  • Access to the law should not depend on wealth or expertise.

Who is affected

  • People subject to the law
  • Parties to disputes
  • Courts and public bodies

Owners Filled

Steward

The legislature that makes it; courts interpret it and the executive enforces it.

Master systems

  • Official gazettes and legislation databases
  • Court records

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q1151067 - registry parent class

related

  • normative rule - inherits scope, validity and authority questions
  • jurisdiction - the same act can be lawful in one jurisdiction and unlawful in another
  • court and public authority - enforcement is what makes the rule law rather than advice
  • law as a discipline - the discipline studies law; this entry is the body of rules

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.law
  • Wikidata: Q7748 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7748)
  • ELI: European Legislation Identifier URI identifies legislation and its versions in participating states
  • ECLI: European Case Law Identifier identifies judgments
  • official citation: jurisdiction-specific the designation courts use; formats differ by system

Direct properties not applicable Not applicable

Not applicable

Plane INF: no invented physical properties.

Recognition optional Filled

  • An official publication with an issuing authority, a date and a designation
  • Consolidated versions are convenience texts; the enacted and amending texts are the authoritative ones in many systems
  • A text that looks like law may be a draft, a bill, guidance or a repealed provision
  • Texts: statutes, codes, regulations, judgments and treaties, published in official gazettes and databases. Customary and religious law may have no single authoritative text.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • cite it, by its official designation and version
  • apply it to facts, which is interpretation and can be contested
  • comply with it, breach it, or challenge its validity
  • amend or repeal it, through the procedure it or a higher rule defines

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Citing a repealed, amended or not yet in force version
  • Applying a rule outside the jurisdiction it belongs to
  • Treating a single text as the whole law when case law or higher rules modify it
  • Giving an answer that reads as legal advice when the agent has no standing to give it

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • The constitution or basic law of each state, which governs how law is made
  • Rules on promulgation and publication, which decide when a text takes effect
  • Akoma Ntoso (OASIS LegalDocML), a standard for machine-readable legal texts

Context of use required Filled

  • Governing conduct, settling disputes and allocating rights and duties with the backing of enforcement.
  • by source: constitution, statute, regulation, case law, treaty, custom
  • by field: criminal, civil, administrative, commercial, labour, and many more
  • by system: civil law, common law, religious law, mixed systems
  • by level: international, supranational, national, regional, local

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q7748: law - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Law - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should the registry model a legal provision, a legal act and a legal system as separate entries?
  • How should a model record the version in force at a given date, given retroactive and delayed effect?
  • What should an agent do when two applicable rules conflict and no court has resolved it?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q7748/spec.json