Treasure Hunting Company Learns "Finders, Keepers" Not Always Binding

I accept that by calling Odyseey a thief was too fast, however there are two main points of discussion here:

1. It is a moral liability to return things to their rightfull owner(s) or their descendants, or at least try to do so. Isn't is one of our own code of ethics to restore found things to the owner? Even after spending gas, time, effort, LICENSE, food, drinks, cost of metector, tools used, etc. etc.

2. In point one I capitalized the word LICENSE, because legally all activities made by humans (except eating and sleeping) have to have a license, permit, claim, etc. Odyssey operates by law, they investigate history (as most of us do), locate a treasure by exploring, MAKE A CLAIM OVER IT (before pulling it out), and then surface it. During the claiming process many things are involved: Odyssey could make an agreement with any of the parts involved (country of origin, country of destination, nearby country, country of rescuer), or just take it and run (here is where they can be called thieves). I understand this is a point where most countries of the world have signed an agreement about claims of goods found in international waters after a period of time. I clearly adventure to state that the judge was BRIBED into granting the ownership to Spain, overseeing Odyssey's previous claim. Now, I think not all parts were notified of the treasure. That's a glitch.

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 They should have thrown it all back in the water and tell Spain to go and get it.  The treasure on board belongs to Peru anyway.

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Maybe most of us would agree that Spain didn't deserve it, but I think that the court and even Odyessy would agree it would serve a better purpose to help a country deep in financial trouble, then it would be by throwing it were no one will ever find it. If Spain were at least decent about it, they might award a salvage award to Odyessy for the money they spent. I wouldn't bet on it, but only time will tell.

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True, most countries could hire salvage companys to find and salvage a wreck, but many such as Spain, don't have the money to do it, and I agree, don't want to take the risk of getting nothing in return if it can't be found. Of course Spain knew where this wreck was, ahhmmm, and the moon is made of silver too.

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Cholo... I would suspect that the State Department had a lot to do with the judge’s decision and he probably didn't have the spinal fortitude to tell state to butt out and then again he could be an anti-capitalist uber liberal.

In the communications between OME and Spain they list the coords. as 36° 5' N & 5° 5' W which puts the search area for the Sussex on the eastern side of the straights yet the maps I have seen of the Black Swan find are on the western side of the straights south of Faro in Portuguese territory where Spain would have no jurisdiction.

I'm sorry but anything that has been lost for 300 yrs. and forgotten by the descendants if there be any should not be subject to that rule of society.  Yes if I found a watch, ring or cell phone at the beach I would attempt to find its owner as these are recent loses and still have a direct line of ownership. But anything lost at sea for 300 yrs. doesn't have that direct line of ownership and is thus subject to the finders/keepers rule.

Gramps



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