Law — page 2 of 35

Law terms

101. Adversary system A term often applied to the Anglo-American system for resolving criminal cases because that system involves pitting two adversaries, the government and…
102. Adverse possession Method of acquiring real property under certain conditions by possession of same for a statutory period.
103. Adversus Against.
104. advice and consent Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international…
105. Advisory Action An action advising an applicant of the status of an application, typically advising him/her that the amendment filed just prior to the mailing of the…
106. Advocate A person or group that works in support of another’s cause in court. There are often Lay Advocates available at Housing court.
107. Affiant The person who makes and subscribes to an affidavit.
108. Affidavit A sworn statement in writing before a proper official, such as a notary public.
109. affiliate (1) Entity with voting power that directly or indirectly owns 20% of debtors voting securities; (2) Corporation in which the debtor owns 20% of voting…
110. Affirm To uphold a decision made in another court in a case on appeal, by a hearing officer in a court that has the authority to decide the appeal.
111. Affirmation A declaration, oath or promise made by a person.
112. Affirmative Defense The defendant denies or admits what the plaintiff says in the complaint and says that there is a justifiable reason.
113. affirmed In the practice of appellate courts, the word means that the decision of the trial court is found to be correct on appeal.
114. Afirmar, confirmar (a) Un acto jurídico de un tribunal de apelaciones confirmando que es correcta un fallo o una decisión de un tribunal inferior; (b) El acto de declarar…
115. Agenda Things to be done.
116. Agent Agent means any individual, other than a broker-dealer, who represents a broker-dealer or issuer in effecting or attempting to effect purchases or sales…
117. agent (patent) (may be referred to as a practitioner or representative) - one who is not an attorney but is authorized to act for or in place of the applicant(s) before…
118. aggregation A ground for rejection of a patent claim that is based on a lack of cooperation among the elements of an invention. MPEP 2173.05(k).
119. Agreement Mutual consent.
120. Aid and Abet To actively, knowingly or intentionally assist another person in the commission or attempted commission of a crime.
121. AIIM The Association for Information and Image Management focused on electronic imaging.
122. AIPA American Inventors Protection Act of 1999 -- see MORE
123. AIPLA American Intellectual Property Law Association
124. AIS automated information system
125. ALC Agency Location Code - an eight (8) digit code assigned to U.S. government agencies by the Department of Treasury.
126. alcohol / DUI Measuring the quantity of alcohol in the blood is one of the three methods available to assess alcohol impairment.
127. Alegato Declaración de una de las partes en una acción jurídica de lo que propone comprobar.
128. Alford plea A defendant’s plea that allows him to assert his innocence but allows the court to sentence the defendant without conducting a trial.
129. Algor mortis the postmortem cooling of the body.
130. Algorithm A detailed formula or set of steps for solving a particular problem. To be an algorithm, a set of rules must be unambiguous and have a clear stopping…
131. Alguacil Un funcionario de las fuerzas del orden que está autorizado, de acuerdo con una orden judicial de desalojo, para sacar a una persona de un inmueble y…
132. alias Called by another name.
133. Alias summons An alias summons is an additional summons when the original is not served on the defendant.
134. ALIASING When computer graphics output has jagged edges or a stair-stepped, rather than a smooth, appearance when magnified.
135. Alibi Elsewhere; in another place.
136. Alibi defense A defense to a criminal charge which asserts that the defendant could not have committed the crime at issue because the defendant was at a different…
137. Alien A foreign-born person who has not qualified as a citizen of the country.
138. Alienation of affection Alienation of affection means convincing a wife to leave her husband, often for another man, causing the husband to lose conjugal relations.
139. Alii Others.
140. Alimony Alimony is money you get from a spouse with whom you no longer live, or a former spouse, if paid to you as part of a divorce agreement, separation…
141. Alimony in gross alimony payments paid in one lump sum.
142. Alimony recapture rule The alimony recapture rule only applies to the payor when alimony payments decrease substantially or end during the first three calendar years.
143. Allegation A statement of the issues in a written document (a pleading) which a person is prepared to prove in court.
144. allegation of use a sworn statement signed by the applicant or a person authorized to sign on behalf of the applicant attesting to use of the mark in commerce.
145. Allocution An oral pleading or argument made to the court at sentencing by counsel for the defendant, the defendant, and the prosecutor.
146. Allowable Costs Allowable costs are items eligible to be funded under the COPS MORE Program. COPS MORE provides for the funding of equipment, technology, and/or salaries…
147. Allowance A decision by a patent office that an applicant is entitled to a patent on an invention. MPEP 1303.
148. Allowance, Notice of A written notice by a patent office that an applicant is entitled to a patent on an invention. In the U.S.
149. Alpha Subclasses In the U.S. patent classification system, subclassed that have an alphabetical suffix. MPEP 902.01.
150. alphanumeric Characters composed of letters, numbers (and sometimes punctuation marks). Excludes control characters.
151. Alter ego A counterpart.
152. Alteration Any change involving an erasure or rewriting in the date, amount, or payee of a check or other negotiable instrument.
153. Alternate juror A juror who is selected in the same manner as a regular juror and hears the evidence in a case along with the regular jurors but does not help decide the…
154. Alternative dispute resolution A process by which parties can settle a dispute without a full, formal trial. Methods include mediation, conciliation, arbitration and settlement, among…
155. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) (ADR) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is the name for the different ways of settling a disagreement outside of the courtroom.
156. Ambient Data Ambient data is data stored in non-traditional computer storage areas and formats, such as Windows swap files, unallocated space, and file slack.
157. Amend To alter or change by adding, subtracting, or substituting. One can amend a written pleading filed in a court action.
158. Amended Complaint What results when the party suing (plaintiff or petitioner) changes the complaint he/she has filed.
159. Amended Pleading A changed written pleading in a lawsuit, including complaint or answer to a complaint.
160. amendment A change in any part of a patent application made after it is filed. Also, the communication from the applicant to a patent office directing or requesting…
161. amendment in the nature of a substitute An amendment that would strike out the entire text of a bill or other measure and insert a different full text.
162. amendment to allege use (AAU) a sworn statement signed by the applicant or a person authorized to sign on behalf of the applicant attesting to use of the mark in commerce.
163. American Bar Association A national association of lawyers whose primary purpose is improvement of lawyers and the administration of justice.
164. American Law Reports A publication which reports cases from all United States jurisdictions by subject matter.
165. Amicus Friend.
166. Amicus curiae Friend of the court.
167. amortize To satisfy a debt in installments or recovery of an investment over a period of time.
168. analog In chemistry, a substance that is similar, but not identical, to another.
169. Analyst A financial analyst tracks the performance of companies and industries, evaluates their potential value as investments, and makes recommendations on…
170. Analytical Data all case specific records such as notes, worksheets, graphs, spectra, printouts, computer data files, photographs, photocopies, microscopic slides and…
171. Analytical Procedure an orderly step-by-step process designed to ensure operational uniformity and to minimize systematic variability.
172. Ancillary A proceeding which is auxiliary or subordinate to another proceeding.
173. Animo With intent.
174. Animo et facto An intention and fact.
175. Annex F written specifications of the application-body document type definition (EFS' filename is application-body.
176. Anno Domini (Abbr. A.D.) In the year of our Lord.
177. Annotations Remarks, notes, case summaries or commentaries following a statute which describe interpretations of a statute or a case.
178. Annuity A life insurance contract sold by insurance companies, brokers, and other financial institutions. It is usually sold as a retirement investment.
179. Annulment the legal dissolution of a marriage. In an annulment, the marriage is treated as though it never existed.
180. ANSI American National Standards Institute - a private, non-profit organization that administers and coordinates the U.S.
181. Answer The defendant may file a written answer, notifying both the Court and the plaintiff exactly what the defendant’s response is to the facts in the…
182. Answers to Interrogatories A formal, written statement by a party to a lawsuit which answers each question or interrogatory propounded (asked) by the other party.
183. Ante Before.
184. Ante mortem preceding death Antigens: foreign substances in the body that are capable of causing disease.
185. Anticipation A situation that exists when claimed invention is not novel in view of the prior art.
186. Antitrust acts Federal and state statutes to protect trade and commerce from unlawful restraints, price discriminations, price fixing and monopolies.
187. Anular, revocar Anular una acción judicial previa.
188. Apelación Un procedimiento para que un caso sea examinado por un tribunal superior para asegurar que los procedimientos y decisiones de un tribunal inferior hayan…
189. Apelado La parte vencedora contra quien se presenta una apelación.
190. Apelante La parte que apela una sentencia o decisión ante un tribunal superior.
191. aperture card An IBM punch card with a window which holds a 35mm frame of microfilm. Indexing information is punched in the card.
192. APMS automated project management system
193. Apparatus See Machine.
194. apparatus claim This refers to a patent claim, which describes structurally a piece of equipment and is embraced by the expression "machine" in the definition of…
195. Appeal To call for a review of an IRS decision or proposed adjustment.
196. appeal (patent) -- see BPAI for info on patent appeals
197. appeal (trademark) An applicant who wants to contest a final refusal from an examining attorney may file an appeal to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
198. Appeal Bond A guaranty by the appealing party which insures that certain court costs will be paid.
199. Appeal Brief A written communication submitted to a higher authority reviewing an adverse patentability decision (rejection of a claim) by an Examiner. In the U.S.
200. Appeal, Notice of A written communication to a patent office indicating that an adverse patentability decision (rejection of a claim) by an Examiner will be appealed.