Public rights are rights given by a state, country, or community to individuals within that community to enjoy. They can be enjoyed by all citizens and are protected by the authority of the state. Private rights are rights that belong to individuals and can only be enjoyed by that individual. The main differences between public and private rights are that public rights involve relations between the state and individual while private rights involve relations between individuals, and public rights violations are filed as cases in court against the state while private right violations are filed as suits.