tout ensemble
tout ensemble (toot oni-soin-bl[schwa]), n. [French “all together”] The overall visual effect of a design; general effect. • The phrase denotes a way of comparing two designs, by looking at the total impact rather than comparing individual design elements. That is the technique used in determining whether a design infringes someone’s trade-dress rights, or whether a design-patent application shows a novel and nonobvious change from existing designs. Although the phrase is adverbial in French, it is typically used as a noun in English. See ANTIDISSECTION RULE.
