在十七世纪，荷兰学者雨果·格劳修斯（Hugo Grotius，他被认为是国际法的起草者）指出海盗可以在抓获他们的船上被起诉，不管他们的犯罪地点在哪里。
In the seventeenth century, the Dutch scholar Hugo Grotius, who is recognized for codifying international law, argued that pirates could be tried for their crimes, regardless of where they were committed, aboard the ships that captured them.