Sui generis is a (post) Latin expression, literally meaning of its own gender/genus or unique in its characteristics. The expression was effectively created by scholastic philosophy to indicate an idea, an entity or a reality that cannot be included in a wider concept, and in the structure genus > species a species that heads its own genus.

In law, it is a term of art used to identify a legal classification that exists independently of other categorizations because of its uniqueness or due to the specific creation of an entitlement or obligation. In intellectual property there are rights which are known as being sui generis to owners of a small class of works, such as intellectual property rights in mask works, ship hull designs, databases, or plant species.

In British town planning law, certain uses of land are labelled "sui generis" to indicate that they are outside a legally-defined Use Class, effectively in a class of their own. Such uses include laundrettes, taxi or vehicle hire businesses, amusement centres, petrol filling stations, hostels and theatres. Under this style of regulation, changes of land use within an agreed "Use Class" can be undertaken without an explicit application being made to a local municipal authority. Changes in the use of a property or site across the boundaries of those Use Classes, or to a "sui generis" activity, can thus be subject to some democratic influence.

I THANK YOU FOR THAT COMMENT, YOU ARE TOO KIND. :-)
 

did u really have to research on the meaning of that very short phrase? mike, that's not even close to describing how special you are. hope maureen knows even a quarter of it.
 

I wish she knew a quarter of it....and yeah I had to look it up :-) I never took any latin ;-)
 

i know the entirity of it.