One of the most technologically advanced countries in Jarro. The main language is a human one, Lutetian, although the population is quite diverse. This language is rooted in that used in Belgravia, but has changed considerably over time.
There are many surface similarities between New Lutetia and Earth's United States Of America during their 1920s to 1930s CE period. It is often best to think of it in such terms, if you can mentally think of such in an alternative world where there was no Native Americans, No use of Slavery as a major workforce/economic power, and where there has yet to be a World War.
The main currency unit is the Lucre, originally a gold coin. Fractional denominations of the Lucre are the silver penny (1/100th of a Lucre) and the silver bit (1/5 of a Lucre or 20 pennies). Paper money is used for higher denominations than the Lucre. The Dwill is a 10 Lucre note, and the Tawana is a 100 Lucre note.
The practice of non-religious magic is considered an eccentric behavior in New Lutetia, and treated with a general distrust by the population. Religious magic exists, but is primarily in the hands of the various priesthoods and not the lay people. New Lutetia is a secular nation, with a number of religions, but several have a high influence on the laws of the land as they hold seats in the Congress Of Lawgivers (one of the three branches of the government).
New Lutetia is divided into 20 Provinces, each of whom have an elected representative in the Congress of Law Givers. Each province is built around a single major city, it's outlaying suburbs, and in many cases farmlands, forested territory, rivers, lakes etc.
Only two interior cities (Ashford and Malag) exist, though there a number of small interior towns and settlements. Large sections of the interior remain unmapped or surveyed, though the general lay of the land has been recorded thru arial photography in recent years.
The central government of New Lutetia was designed to be specifically weak, as a strong central government was feared to become a tyranny of the majority and eventually no better than what they had deposed when they had their revolution with Belgravia centuries ago. This means that the enforcement procedures and efforts in regards to the issue of Parents, Trademarks and Copyrights are also difficult, expensive and limited to Civil Financial Damages and not criminal enforcement.
There is no such thing as Patents or Patent Law, so inventors and manufacturers must be wary of their ideas and designs being copied and reproduced in the marketplace. This also means that many inventors will purposely make some or all of their major design hidden from easy analysis, and in some cases trapped to destroy information about the design if tampered with. Of course, this also means there are inventors who specialize in backwards engineering techniques to overcome such built in limits.
Trademarks are centrally registered at the Hall of Records in Avarra and are enforced in the courts. They primarily are company names, symbols and logos, and cannot be 'common use' terms or phrases. They are often family names, coats of arms, and the like that are placed on products to both identify the maker, and thus represent their quality of workmanship. It costs $100 to register a trademark, including a records search to avoid duplication of an existing record, and there is an annual fee of $20 to maintain ownership of the trademark. After ownership expires it takes a period of 10 years before someone besides the original owner to take possession of a trademark. Trademarks can be bought outright from an owner, but requires a $20 change of name process in the records.
You cannot 'Trademark' things related to magic or religion. Additionally New Lutetia does not recognize foreign Trademarks as valid - a trademark must be filed for in New Lutetia itself to be valid.
The laws regarding Copyright in New Lutetia are far more complex in many ways than Patents or Trademarks. Copyrights pertain to written materials and the public non-recorded performance of music,photographs, sculptures, paintins and plays, both their duplication and derrivation as well sale of works. They are, in New Lutetia, centered around concepts of profit and sales, and the importance of accreditation. Less clear are the laws regarding parody, immitation and non-profit reproduction, and there are some vague 'fair use' laws. Additionally copyrights are filed in Avarra in a manner similar to trademarks, but ownership of a copyright ends with the death of the copyright holder, dropping the material in to the Public Domain and freely accessible to all.
Only the creator(s) of the original work can hold a copyright, they are not saleable or transferrable in any way. Only a person may hold a copyright, not a business or corporation or government institution under New Lutetian laws.
You cannot copyright material that is about, uses or pertains to magic or religion. New Lutetia does not recognize foreign copyrights, nor do other countries recognize their's, which has lead to some heated disputes with various governments over the years.