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Concept
Sui generis
Summary
Sui generis (ˌsuːi_ˈdʒɛnərᵻs , ˈsʊ.iː ˈɡɛnɛrɪs) is a Latin phrase that means "of its/their own kind" or "in a class by itself", therefore "unique".
A number of disciplines use the term to refer to unique entities. These include:
Biology, for species that do not fit into a genus that includes other species
Creative arts, for artistic works that go beyond conventional genre boundaries
Law, when a special and unique interpretation of a case or authority is necessary
Intellectual property rights, for types of works not falling under general copyright law but protected through separate statutes
Philosophy, to indicate an idea, an entity, or a reality that cannot be reduced to a lower concept or included in a higher concept
In the taxonomical structure "genus → species", a species is described as sui generis if its genus was created to classify it (i.e. its uniqueness at the time of classification merited the creation of a new genus, the sole member of which was initially the sui generis species). A species that is the sole extant member of its genus (e.g. the genus Homo) is not necessarily sui generis; extinctions may have eliminated other congeneric species. A sui generis genus may also be called a monotypic genus.
A book, movie, television series, or other artistic creation is called sui generis when it does not fit into standard genre boundaries. Movie critic Richard Schickel identifies Joe Versus the Volcano as a sui generis movie. Film critic Michael Brooke used the term to describe Fantastic Planet, a 1973 Franco-Czech sci-fi animated film directed by René Laloux.
In law, it is a term of art used to identify a legal classification that exists independently of other categorizations, either because of its singularity or due to the specific creation of an entitlement or obligation. For example, a court's contempt powers arise sui generis and not from statute or rule. The New York Court of Appeals has used the term in describing cooperative apartment corporations, mostly because this form of housing is considered real property for some purposes and personal property for other purposes.
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