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Contract & Commercial Law vocabulary · Intellectual Property

Infringement

Meaning in contract & commercial law, with examples

/ɪnˈfrɪndʒmənt/nounCommon term

In contract & commercial law, infringement means: The use of someone else's intellectual property, such as a patent, trademark or copyright, without permission.

In Turkish: ihlal, tecavüz, hak ihlali

How it is used

The verb is 'infringe' and the person is an 'infringer'. Owners send 'cease and desist' letters, sue for infringement and seek injunctions and damages. License and supply contracts often contain an IP infringement indemnity.

Example sentences

  1. Selling the copies online is a clear infringement of our copyright.

  2. The court found trademark infringement and ordered the products to be destroyed.

Common collocations

  • patent infringement
  • trademark infringement
  • copyright infringement
  • claim for infringement
  • allege infringement
  • intellectual propertyLegal rights over creations of the mind, such as inventions, brands, designs, software and written works; the main types are patents, trademarks, copyright and designs.
  • injunctionA court order that tells a party to stop doing something, or sometimes to do something, often granted urgently to prevent harm.
  • patentAn exclusive right, granted by the state for a limited period, to make, use and sell an invention in exchange for publicly disclosing how it works.
  • trademarkA sign such as a name, logo or slogan that identifies the goods or services of one business and distinguishes them from those of others.
  • copyrightThe legal right of the creator of an original work, such as a text, photo, piece of music or software, to control how it is copied, published and adapted.

More terms: Intellectual Property

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.