Ownership rights in land or goods are protected by:

The correct answer is government regulations, which play a critical role in protecting ownership rights in land or goods. Governments enact laws and regulations to ensure that property rights are recognized and enforced. These protections include legal recognition of ownership, mechanisms for resolving disputes, and systems for enforcing contracts.

For instance, property laws define what constitutes ownership, the rights associated with that ownership, and the processes for transferring ownership. Zoning laws, for instance, regulate how land can be used, which contributes to protecting landowners' rights by ensuring that their property is not adversely affected by nearby developments. Moreover, the government can impose penalties for trespassing or theft, thereby deterring unauthorized use of land or goods.

While private entities may create agreements or contracts to protect ownership rights, without government regulations and the legal framework they provide, these private arrangements would lack enforceability. Local market forces and global trade agreements, while they can influence property rights and economic conditions, do not directly provide the legal protections needed to safeguard ownership rights in the way that government regulations do.