Legal Ownership, Equitable Ownership, and Beneficial Ownership Compared

Transcript:

Hello!

In common law, the term “ownership”[1] can refer to different types of rights depending on the legal context but please be careful because legal, equitable, and beneficial ownership should not be used interchangeably, as they serve distinct legal functions.

Legal Ownership

• Refers to ownership recognised at law;
• The legal owner’s name appears on the title or register;
• Has the power to sell, transfer, or mortgage the asset;
• In land law, the legal owner is often the trustee (e.g. under a trust or co- ownership structure).

Equitable Ownership

• A term often used in Trust and Property Law;
• Recognised by courts of equity, but not visible in public registries;
• The equitable owner has a right to enjoy or benefit from the asset;
• Arises most commonly in trusts where the trustee holds legal title, while the beneficiary holds the equitable interest;
• Is a form of property right and is therefore alienable — meaning it may be assigned[2] to another person, sold for value, left by will[3], or transferred into a trust.

Beneficial Ownership

• A term used in financial regulation, anti-money laundering (AML)[4] and Company Law;
• Refers to the natural person who ultimately owns or controls a company, trust, or asset and who is often referred to as the Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO)[5];
• May align with equitable ownership but is defined more broadly for regulatory purposes.

Be careful: “beneficial owner” in AML (titolare effettivo) does not necessarily mean “equitable owner” in the traditional legal sense. The term “equitable owner” does not have a direct equivalent in Italian law.

Thank you very much and see you next time for more Peter’s Pills to improve your Legal English!

Note

[1] ownership – proprietà

[2] assigned – ceduta

[3] will – testamento

[4] anti-money laundering – antiriciclaggio

[5] Ultimate Beneficial Owner – titolare effettivo

See more on Legal estate and Beneficial interests in land law here: “Legal estates and beneficial interests: what’s the difference?“.

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Legal English – Sommario delle Lezioni

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 99 – Legal Ownership, Equitable Ownership, and Beneficial Ownership Compared

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 98 – Condition Precedent vs Condition Subsequent

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 97 – Board Observers

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 96 – Vested interest vs Contingent interest

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 95 – Collegiality

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 94 – OE = A – L

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 93 – False Friends – Part Two

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 92 – False Friends

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 91 – Fee Estimate Headings – Part 5 – Unregistered deeds and formalities

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 90 – Fee Estimate Headings – Part 4 – Other

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 89 – Fee Estimate Headings – Part 3 – Mortis Causa

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 88 – Fee Estimate Headings – Part 2 – Corporate

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 87 – Fee Estimate Headings – Part 1 – Real Estate Deeds

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 86 – Traded, listed and quoted

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 85 – Sole Traders and Partnerships

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 84 – General English vs Legal English 2

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 83 – General English vs Legal English 1

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 82 – Next of kin

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 81 – File, Register and Enrol

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 80 – Securities

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 79 – Legatee vs Devisee

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 78 – Adverse possession

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 77 – Probate

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 76 – File a deed vs Record a deed

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 75 – Allotting shares, Issuing shares and Placing shares

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 74 – Personal Representatives

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 73 – Essential Elements of a Contract

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 72 – Types of cases: Cornerstone and Milestone cases

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 71 – Types of cases: Landmark cases

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 70 – Specific performance

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 69 – Wills

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 68 – Notice

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 67 – Bonds vs Debentures

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 66 – Person Persons People

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 65 – Financial Reporting Words

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 64 – Representations and Warranties

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 63 – Machine translations

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 62 – Legal Timelines

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 61 – Liens

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 60 – Test your Legal English

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 59 – Appurtenent vs In gross

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 58 – Building societies and Banks

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 57 – Valid, void and voidable contracts

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 56 – Rescission

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 55 – Golden expressions

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 54 – Pre-emption right vs Right of first refusal

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 53 – What do we mean by “agent” of a company?

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 52 – Voting at a meeting

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 51 – Contracts vs Deeds

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 50 – Executive and Non-Executive Directors

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 49 – Transfer of shares vs transmission of shares

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 48 – They, them, their for singular nouns

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 47 – Jointly and severally

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 46 – Invoice words

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 45 – Quotation

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 44 – Gazumping and Gazundering

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 43 – English words that the English do not understand

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 42 – Easement vs Profit à prendre

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 41 – er, -or and -ee names

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 40 – The Objects Clause

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 39 – When is Latin hot, and when is it not?

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 38 – Default

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 37 – Company Agent

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 36 – Injunction (false freind)

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 35 – Mortgage

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 34 – Freehold, Leasehold and Commonhold estates

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 33 – Transferor, Transferee and Transmittee

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 32 – Tax evasion, tax mitigation and tax avoidance

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 31 – Numbers

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 30 – Ordinary resolutions vs special resolutions

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 29 – AGM vs EGM

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 28 – A going concern

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 27 – Collocations: Violate, breach, break, disobey and infringe

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 26 – Company meeting words

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 25 – Mortgagor vs Mortgagee

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 24 – Fixed charges vs Floating charges

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 23 – Doctrine

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 22 – Construe

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 21 – Sign vs Execute

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 20 – The closing statement

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 19 – Writing Business Emails

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 18 – Limited companies

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 17 – Annual Accounts

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 16 – Meetings

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 15 – Attorney-at-law vs Attorney-in-fact

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 14 – Here and there compounds

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 13 – Subject Matter

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 12 – The clear days rule

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 11 – Shareholder, Member or Holder of shares?

• Legal English: Peter’s Pills – Lesson 10 – Competition Law

• Legal English: Peter’s Pills – Lesson 9 – Lasting Power of Attorney

• Legal English: Peter’s Pills – Lesson 8 – Guardianship

• Legal English: Peter’s Pills – Lesson 7 – Damage vs Damages

• Legal English: Peter’s Pills – Lesson 6 – Legal Doublets

• Legal English: Peter’s Pills – Lesson 5 – Escrow

• Legal English: Peter’s Pills – Lesson 4 – Memorandum of Association vs Articles of Association

• Legal English: Peter’s Pills – Lesson 3 – Sign legibly

• Legal English: Peter’s Pills – Lesson 2 – Deed poll

• Legal English: Peter’s Pills – Lesson 1 – Party, counterparty and counterpart