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The public variety of this type of law applies when two or more countries or sovereign entities are involved. These laws might cover topics such as human rights, wartime laws and the laws at sea. Violations of these laws might result in ramifications such as sanctions by other countries, the ending of certain agreements between the countries that are involved or, in the most severe cases, declarations of war.

When legal matters involve people, businesses or private organizations from separate countries, rather than government bodies, it is considered private international law. This type of law often involves settling matters such as which country's laws apply or where the case will be decided. It often is necessary for governments to step in to help their citizens settle these matters or to help them achieve a fair result.

In addition to matters such as human rights, maritime laws and war crimes, subjects that typically are covered by international laws include drug control, aviation laws, telecommunications, space law and other topics that often stretch beyond a country's borders. Other international laws concern the way countries interact with each other, such as in trade relations and matters of military disarmament. One of the growing areas that these laws cover is that of intellectual property rights. because technology advances have made copyright infringement and digital piracy easier.

The most well-known court that decides international legal matters is the International Court of Justice. also known as the World Court, which was established by the United Nations in 1945. Serious matters of public international law are often decided by the United Nations Security Council, which is most concerned with maintaining peace. A well-known international court that decides less serious matters is the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which was established in 1984 and handles cases that involve international athletics.