infringement

noun

in·​fringe·​ment in-ˈfrinj-mənt 

1

: the act of infringing : violation

2

: an encroachment or trespass on a right or privilege

Synonyms

• breach
• contravention
• infraction
• transgression
• trespass
• violation

Examples of infringement in a Sentence

any government action limiting freedom of speech is an infringement of the U.S. Constitution

Recent Examples on the Web

Copyright infringement lawsuit against Bad Bunny, Karol G and others can move forward, judge rules. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2024

The New York Times sued OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft, in December, claiming copyright infringement of news content related to the training and servicing of A.I. systems. —Katie Robertson, New York Times, 1 June 2024

Spotify is on notice that release of any such feature without the proper licenses in place from our members may constitute additional direct infringement. —Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 15 May 2024

By contrast, the New York Times and other newspapers have sued OpenAI as well as Microsoft, alleging the tech companies engaged in copyright infringement by using the publishers’ content to train their AI systems. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 22 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1628, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

infringement

noun

in·​fringe·​ment

: the act or an instance of infringing

especially : the unauthorized use of copyrighted or patented material or of a trademark, trade name, or trade dress see also equivalent, fair use

Note: Infringement of a trademark, trade name, or trade dress involves use of one by the infringer that is the same as that of the owner or so similar that it is likely to deceive or to cause confusion or mistake on the part of the average purchaser. Infringement of a copyright involves the copying of a material and substantial portion of the protected work. If the alleged infringer denies copying, the copyright holder may be able to prove infringement with circumstantial evidence of the infringer's access to the protected work and of similarities between the two works.