Infringement, Infringer

INFRINGEMENT, INFRINGER - Unauthorized use, typically of a patent or copyright. Patent claims are comparable to the description in a deed to land. The description points out where the boundaries are. A person who crosses boundaries without the owner's permission is a trespasser. In patent law, infringement is a form of trespass, and a person whose product, process, apparatus, or composition infringes the scope of a valid claim is comparable to a trespasser and is called an infringer.