bimetallism. A monetary system in which currency is defined in terms of two metals (usu. gold and silver), both being legal tender and with a fixed rate of exchange between them. • The American money system was based on a bimetallic standard from 1792 to 1873.
scope of a patent. Patents. The limits of a patent’s protection, as defined by the allowed claims. [Cases: Patents 165. C.J.S. Patents §§ 283, 287, 290, 293, 304.]
middle line of main channel. The equidistant point in the main channel of the river between the well-defined banks on either shore; the middle thread of a river’s current. — Also termed mid-channel; middle of the river.
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obscene, adj. Extremely offensive under contemporary community standards of morality and decency; grossly repugnant to the generally accepted notions of what is appropriate. • Under the Supreme Court’s three-part test, material is legally obscene — and therefore not protected under the First Amendment — if, taken as a whole, the material (1) appeals to the
right of election. Wills & estates. A surviving spouse’s statutory right to choose either the gifts given by the deceased spouse in the will or a forced share or a share of the estate as defined in the probate statute. — Also termed widow’s election. See ELECTION(2); augmented estate under ESTATE (3). [Cases: Descent and
ephemeral recording. Copyright. A temporary copy of a work that may be created and used by a broadcaster under a license or under a statutory exemption that waives the need to obtain the copyright owner’s permission. • A broadcaster must still pay royalties, and usu. must destroy the ephemeral recording within a statutorily defined time
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Securities. Any of the following: (1) a person directly or indirectly acting in concert with a distribution participant in connection with the acquisition or distribution of the securities involved; (2) an affiliate who directly or indirectly controls the purchases of those securities by a distribution participant, or whose purchases are controlled by such a participant,
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military law. The branch of public law governing military discipline and other rules regarding service in the armed forces. • It is exercised both in peacetime and in war, is recognized by civil courts, and includes rules far broader than for the punishment of offenders. — Also termed military justice. — Sometimes loosely termed martial
habendum et tenendum (h[schwa]-ben-d[schwa]m et t[schwa]-nen-d[schwa]m). [Law Latin] Hist. To have and to hold. • This formal phrase appeared in land deeds and defined the estate or interest being transferred. See HABENDUM CLAUSE ; TENENDUM.
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A tenant whose tenancy is for a defined number of years, months, weeks, or days, set when the tenancy is created.