Intellectual property infringement
An intellectual property 'infringement' is the unauthorized use, exploitation, or violation of an intellectual property right. There are several types of intellectual property rights, such as copyrights, patents, trademarks, industrial designs, plant breeders rights and trade secrets. Therefore, an intellectual property infringement may for instance be one of the following:
- Copyright infringement, encompassing for example a software copyright infringement
- Patent infringement
- Trademark infringement
- Design infringement
- Cybersquatting
- Biopiracy
Identifying infringement
- Fictitious entry, such as:
- * Fictitious dictionary entry. An example is Esquivalience included in the New Oxford American Dictionary
- * Trap street, a fictitious street included on a map for the purpose of "trapping" potential copyright violators of the map
- Watermarking
Designing around a patent can sometimes be a way to avoid infringing it.
Some forms of intellectual property infringement involve the production or distribution of counterfeit or pirated products and services. An example of a counterfeit product is if a vendor were to place a well-known logo on a piece of clothing that said company did not produce. An example of a pirated product is if an individual were to distribute unauthorized copies of a DVD for a profit of their own. In such circumstances, the law has the right to punish. Companies may seek out remedies themselves, however, "Criminal sanctions are often warranted to ensure sufficient punishment and deterrence of wrongful activity".