infringement

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noun

1. An act or instance of breaking a law or regulation or of nonfulfillment of an obligation or promise, for example: breach, contravention, infraction, transgression, trespass, violation. See right/wrong.
2. An advance beyond proper or legal limits: encroachment, entrenchment, impingement, intrusion, obtrusion, trespass. See enter/exit.

The encroachment, breach, or violation of a right, law, regulation, or contract.

The term is most frequently used in reference to the invasion of rights secured by copyright, patent, or trademark. The unauthorized manufacture, sale, or distribution of an item protected by a copyright, patent, or trademark constitutes an infringement.

• Crimes, Criminals, and Civil Offenders - infringement: unauthorized use of patented or copyrighted invention or intellectual property

Look up infringement or infringe in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Infringement, when used alone, has several possible meanings in the English language.

In a legal context, an infringement refers to the violation of a law or a right. This includes intellectual property infringements such as:

• Copyright infringement
• Patent infringement
• Trademark infringement

In some jurisdictions, an infringement can refer to an administrative penalty system for minor criminal or regulatory breaches of the law. This process typically involves the issue of a notice either on the spot or by mail and disposition of the breach without the offender being required to be subject to prosecution or other formal court proceeding. Many road safety, public transport and local authority offences are managed in this way.

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