Possession vaut titre
Defined in 2 dictionaries — Ballentine's (1916), Black's (1910)
Ballentine's Law Dictionary
James A. Ballentine · 1916
Possession avails as much as title.
Black's Law Dictionary
Henry Campbell Black, M.A. · 1910
Fr. In English law, as in most systems of jurisprudence, the fact of possession raises a prima facie title or a presumption of the right of property in the thing possessed. In other words, the possession is as good as the title (about.) Brown.