Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A violation, as of a law, regulation, or agreement.
  • noun An encroachment, as of a right or privilege: synonym: breach.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A breach or infraction, as of a law, right, or obligation; violation; transgression.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act of infringing; breach; violation; nonfulfillment.
  • noun An encroachment on a patent, copyright, or other special privilege; a trespass.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a violation or breach, as of a law

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an act that disregards an agreement or a right
  • noun a crime less serious than a felony

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • On whether infringement is the same as theft: "When you illegally download music, it's no different than walking into a music store and shoplifting."

    Boing Boing: April 8, 2007 - April 14, 2007 Archives 2007

  • What we're hearing a lot of today at the moment and at least late last night, as well, the Iraqi officials highlighting the number of a what they call infringement of flight air space.

    CNN Transcript Nov 21, 2002 2002

  • The foundation was formed last November to resist what it calls the infringement on basic Afrikaner rights.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 1996

  • The foundation, formed last year to resist what it called the infringement of basic Afrikaner rights, said it was concerned about reports that the commission intended hearing evidence on the incident.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 1996

  • This body was set up in November last year to resist what it called the infringement of basic Afrikaner rights in contravention of the constitution.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 1996

  • Do we run the risk of some kind of infringement from the well-known Paul Simon song from which this phrase has such notoriety? —

    Reader wants to know: Who's the woman in the Ikea TV ad? 2009

  • Do we run the risk of some kind of infringement from the well-known Paul Simon song from which this phrase has such notoriety? —

    Ad Track: Welches mean 'Business'; Ikea's inner voice 2009

  • The term infringement, as used in this Act, is defined to mean the making, using or vending of any patented article without the written consent of the owner of the patent thereon, or of his agent, authorized to grant such consent. "

    Patent Laws of the Republic of Hawaii and Rules of Practice in the Patent Office Hawaii

  • In the case of individuals who infringe by using peer-to-peer networks, the potential gain from infringement is access to free music, not the possibility of hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in profits.

    Jammie Thomas vs the RIAA: round II 2009

  • To me copyright infringement is a non crime and is universally derided as evidenced by the wide scale civil disobedience.

    Australian ‘pirate’ jailed fo 9 months 2009

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