You can’t trademark natural resources, but ownership of them is increasingly becoming an issue as those resources become scarce. In fact, the question of ownership over water rights has become a knock-down fight. Water shortages have been an issue in the western states in the U.S. for well over 100 years and officials could foresee even back then that water was limited. However, particularly as the population has grown out west, demands for water have far exceeded even what was anticipated back then.
When are water rights likely to affect you? In short, any time you want to withdraw new water. Whether you’re drilling a new personal well, a farmer irrigating your crops, or using large amounts of water for a fracking project, you’re going to need to secure water rights. Any time you want to use large amounts of water, you have to offset the use somewhere else to make sure water budget neutrality is established.