massachusetts easement
Is a profit &#224; prendre identical to &quot;mineral rights&quot;, or is there some difference?
<p>Is a profit à prendre identical to "mineral rights", or is there some difference? My impression is that "mineral rights" is just a slang term for what is called profit à prendre in formal law, but I would like to know if there is some difference.</p>

<p>jurisdiction: Massachusetts USA</p>

<p>"Mineral rights" refers to a specific type of profit à prendre, which could generally include the right to harvest annual crops, or pond fish, or forest products, or hunt wild game, etc.</p>

<p>A profit a prendre is is a right to take from another person's land something that is part of the soil or is on the soil and is the property of the landowner.  That right is usually created after agreement between the taker and the landowner, or possibly even by statute (though this changes the nature of the right, as the grant under statute would most likely come with other rights and obligations).</p>

<p>A profit is different to a mineral right or mineral estate, which if defined as the right to take minerals out of the soil, is an instance or type of a profit.</p>

<p>Both are considered 'estates' in real property law.</p>
