Which term describes the right to enter land and take away something of value from its soil?

• A. Trade Fixtures
• B. Easement
• C. Profits a Prendre
• D. Subjacent Support

Answer: (C)

Profits a prendre is the right to enter someone else’s land and take away something of value from the soil. It’s a non-possessory property interest that authorizes extraction of natural resources—things like minerals, timber, crops, game, or other valuable products—off the land. This right can be granted to another person, either tied to a specific parcel (appurtenant) or held independently (in gross), and it often involves compensation or royalties to the landowner.

Trade fixtures describe business items a tenant installs for operation that may remain with the tenant or become property of the landlord at end of tenancy; they don’t involve a right to remove resources from the soil. An easement is a right to use someone else’s land for a specific purpose (such as a right-of-way or utility line) but it typically doesn’t include the power to remove soil or resources. Subjacent support is the legal obligation of a landowner to support the surface and structures above it, not a right to extract materials from the land.