It is closely related to Odelsrett; both terms are from Proto-Germanic *Ōþalan, meaning "heritage; inheritance".
The courts of Scotland have intermittently acknowledged the supremacy of udal law in property cases up to the present day.
Major differences from Scots law include shore ownership rights, important for pipelines and buried cables.
The type of tenure depends on how the title arose:[3] The udal tenant held without charter by uninterrupted possession on payment to the Crown, the kirk, or a grantee from the Crown of a tribute called skat (Norwegian: skatt), now meaning "tax".
[6] Several significant aspects of udal law are not seen elsewhere in the UK: The Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc.