workers’ compensation. A system of providing benefits to an employee for injuries occurring in the scope of employment. • Most workers’-compensation statutes both hold the employer strictly liable and bar the employee from suing the employer in tort. — Abbr. WC. — Also termed workmen’s compensation; employers’ liability. [Cases: Workers’ Compensation 11. C.J.S. Workmen’s Compensation […]
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beta testing. Intellectual property. The process of testing products and services, esp. software, under real-life conditions. • Consumers often engage in beta testing at no cost in exchange for reporting to the developer how satisfied they are, any problems they encounter, and any suggested improvements. To protect a trade secret or to avoid a statutory
patent watch. A system for continually monitoring published patent applications and granted patents in a particular scientific or technological field to detect or ensure against infringements.
waivery. Hist. The act of putting a woman outside the protection of the law. • At common law, a woman could not be “outlawed” because she was not considered “in law” — that is, she could not undertake legal proceedings on her own. By Bracton’s day, the effect of outlawing a woman was achieved by
A corporation whose only function is to hide the principal’s identity and to protect the prin-cipal from liability.
At common law, a malicious libel that is designed to expose a person to hatred, contempt, or ridicule and that may subject the author to criminal sanctions. • Because of constitutional protections of free speech, libel is no longer criminally prosecuted. [Cases: Libel and Slander 141. C.J.S. Libel and Slander; Injurious Falsehood §§ 7–8.]
A dual agreement consisting of an agreement by the consumer to purchase goods or services (usu. at an inflated price) and an agreement by the seller to compensate the consumer for each customer (or potential customer) referred to the seller. — Also termed referral sales agreement. Cf. PYRAMID SCHEME. [Cases: Consumer Protection 12. C.J.S. Credit
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intangible trade value. Intellectual property. The measure of an enterprise’s proprietary information, ideas, goodwill, and other nonphysical commercial assets. • The law of misappropriation provides some protection against the taking of intangible trade values to compete unfairly with their original owner. — Also termed intangible asset; intangible trade property.
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Hanse Towns (hans). Hist. The collective name of certain German cities — including Lübeck, Hamburg, and Bremen — that allied in the 12th century to protect and further their mutual commercial interests. • This alliance was usu. called the Hanseatic League. The League framed and promulgated a code of maritime law known as the Laws
Archaic. The public distribution of an author’s work on a scale large enough to divest the author of any claim to state common-law copyright protection. • The Copyright Act of 1976 preempted most common-law copyright. — Sometimes (erroneously) written divestive publication.
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