وقد اعترفت محكمة العدل الدولية بهذه القاعدة في قضية إنترهاندل بأنها "قاعدة راسخة من قواعد القانون الدولي العرفي"().
This rule was recognized by the International Court of Justice in the Interhandel case as “a well-established rule of customary international law” and by a Chamber of the International Court in the Elettronica Sicula (ELSI) case as “an important principle of customary international law”.