Meaning of law: the system of rules that a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actionsof its members and may enforce by the imposition of penalties. The following are the main branches of law Private law signifies rules that regulate the relationships between private individuals (subjects of law who are, legally speaking, in an equal situation; for example, the legal relationship between a buyer and a seller, where both parties have certain rights and obligations). Private law covers civil law, commercial law, international private law as well as intellectual property (such as copyright, patent law). Public law, on the other hand, consists in rules where one party is the state, who participates in the legal relationship from a position of strength – thereby effecting its power. Public law also signifies principles that serve as a basis for the structure of the state and the relationships between the state and the citizens. In addition to constitutional law, public law also covers administrative, financial, criminal and procedural law as well as international law.