Infringer

An infringer is an individual or entity that violates a right, rule, law, or agreement. This often involves the unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of copyrighted material, patents, trademarks, or other intellectual property. Infringement can also pertain to breaking legal statutes, contractual obligations, or ethical codes. The consequences for being an infringer vary widely, from simple warnings to substantial fines, injunctions, or even criminal charges depending on the severity and nature of the violation, the jurisdiction, and the type of right infringed upon. Repeated or egregious infringements typically carry harsher penalties and often involve complex legal battles. Infringers may intentionally break these regulations or be unaware they are in breach of the law or agreement, highlighting the significance of understanding and respecting intellectual property and other legal boundaries.

Infringer meaning with examples

• The website owner was accused of being an infringer after illegally hosting and distributing copyrighted music without obtaining the proper licenses, leading to legal action from the recording industry. This infringement caused substantial financial damages, resulting in a lawsuit.
• Due to a copyright dispute, the company was determined as the infringer by the court after directly copying the competitor's product design, which constituted blatant trademark infringement and violated intellectual property laws, forcing them to pay substantial damages and redesign.
• The software company’s practice of reverse engineering their rival's code and implementing similar functions resulted in their designation as the infringer of trade secrets, resulting in legal fees and damage to their brand reputation.
• A small business found itself to be an unintentional infringer of a patent when they unknowingly adopted a manufacturing process already patented by a larger corporation, facing demands for a royalty payment and possible legal action.
• After they copied the code of their competitor, the student was seen as an infringer during a code review. The students could face expulsion due to plagiarism as they also violated the code of conduct set by the university.