Law School

Intellectual property (2023): Trade secrets Part One

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trade secrets are a type of intellectual property that includes formulas, practices, processes, designs, instruments, patterns, or compilations of inf...

Criminal procedure (2023): Post-sentencing: Sex offender registry (Part Two)

30 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Additional restrictions beyond public notice. Sex offenders on parole or probation in the United States are generally subject to the same restrictions...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against the state: Espionage

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence). A person who commits espionage...

Wills (2023): Oral will + Attestation clause + Residuary estate + Incorporation by reference

28 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An oral will (or nuncupative will) is a will that has been delivered orally (that is, in speech) to witnesses, as opposed to the usual form of wills, ...

Tort law (2022): Remedies: Non-economic damages caps

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Non-economic damages caps are tort reforms to limit (for example, "cap") damages in lawsuits for subjective, non-pecuniary harms such as pai...

Intellectual property (2023): Trade dress

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trade dress is the characteristics of the visual appearance of a product or its packaging (or even the design of a building) that signify the source o...

Criminal procedure (2023): Post-sentencing: Sex offender registry (Part One)

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A sex offender registry is a system in various countries designed to allow government authorities to keep track of the activities of sex offenders, in...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against the state: Treason

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against ...

Wills (2023): Codicil + Holographic will

21 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A codicil is a testamentary or supplementary document similar but not necessarily identical to a will. In some jurisdictions, it may serve to amend, r...

Tort law (2022): Remedies: Tort reform

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tort reform refers to changes in the civil justice system in common law countries that aim to reduce the ability of plaintiffs to bring tort litigatio...

Intellectual property (2023): Neighboring rights

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In copyright law, related rights (or neighboring rights) are the rights of a creative work not connected with the work's actual author. It is used in ...

Criminal procedure (2023): Post-sentencing: Rehabilitation

16 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rehabilitation is the process of re-educating and retraining those who have committed a crime. It generally involves psychological approaches which ta...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against animals: Cruelty to animals

15 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction by omission (neglect) or by commission by humans of ...

Wills (2023): Joint wills and mutual wills + Will contract

14 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Joint wills and mutual wills are closely related terms used in the law of wills to describe two types of testamentary writing that may be executed by ...

Tort law (2022): Remedies: Trover (Part Two)

13 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trover cases in the United States. Trover is the name of the action which lay, at common law, for the recovery of damages for the conversion of person...

Intellectual property (2023): Neighboring rights

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In copyright law, related rights (or neighboring rights) are the rights of a creative work not connected with the work's actual author. It is used in ...

Criminal procedure (2023): Post-sentencing: Recidivism

09 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recidivism from recidive and -ism, from Latin recidivus "recurring", from re- "back" and cado "I fall") is the act of a person repeating an undesirabl...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against the public: Terrorism

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of intentional violence and fear to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regar...

Wills (2023): Legal history of wills (Part Two)

07 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Legislation. Such were the principal stages in the history of the law as it affected wills made before 1838 or proved before 1858. The principal Acts ...

Tort law (2022): Remedies: Trover (Part One)

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trover is a form of lawsuit in common-law countries for recovery of damages for wrongful taking of personal property. Trover belongs to a series of re...

Intellectual property (2023): Plant genetic resources

03 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Plant genetic resources describe the variability within plants that comes from human and natural selection over millennia. Their intrinsic value mainl...

Criminal procedure (2023): Post-sentencing: Pardon

02 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pa...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against the public: Duel + Sumptuary laws

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon rules. During the 17th and 18th ce...

Wills (2023): Legal history of wills (Part One)

28 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Legal history of wills Wills have a lengthy history. Ancient Greece. The Ancient Greek practice concerning wills was not the same in all places; some ...

Tort law (2022): Remedies: Replevin

27 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Replevin or claim and delivery (sometimes called revendication) is a legal remedy, which enables a person to recover personal property taken wrongfull...

Intellectual property (2023): Patent (Part Two)

24 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Governing laws. The grant and enforcement of patents are governed by national laws, and also by international treaties, where those treaties have been...

Criminal procedure (2023): Post-sentencing: Miscarriage of justice (Part Two)

23 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Compensation for wrongful conviction. Article 14(6) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) states that when a miscarriage...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against the public: Anti-miscegenation laws (Part Two)

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Repeal of anti-miscegenation laws, 1948–1967. In 1948, the California Supreme Court ruled in Perez v Sharp (1948) that the California anti-miscegena...

Wills (2023): Will or testament

21 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A will or testament is a legal document that expresses a person's (testator) wishes as to how their property (estate) is to be distributed after their...

Tort law (2022): Damages: Tracing + Detinue

20 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tracing is a legal process, not a remedy, by which a claimant demonstrates what has happened to his or her property, identifies its proceeds and those...

Intellectual property (2023): Patent (Part One)

17 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a l...

Criminal procedure (2023): Post-sentencing: Miscarriage of justice (Part One)

16 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A miscarriage of justice occurs when a grossly unfair outcome occurs in a criminal or civil proceeding, such as the conviction and punishment of a per...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against the public: Anti-miscegenation laws (Part One)

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Anti-miscegenation laws. In the United States, anti-miscegenation laws were passed by most states to prohibit interracial marriage, and in some cases ...

Civil procedure: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: Voluntary dismissal + Involuntary dismissal + settlement

14 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Voluntary dismissal is termination of a lawsuit by voluntary request of the plaintiff (the party who originally filed the lawsuit). A voluntary dismis...

Tort law (2022): Damages: Incidental damages + Injunction

13 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Incidental damages. Incidental damages refers to the type of legal damages that are reasonably associated with, or related to, actual damages. In Amer...

Intellectual property (2023): Plant breeders' rights (Part Two)

10 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

International rights. In 1957, in France negotiations took place concerned with the protection of new varieties. This led to the creation of the Union...

Criminal procedure (2023): Post-sentencing: Exoneration + Habitual offender

09 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Exoneration occurs when the conviction for a crime is reversed, either through demonstration of innocence, a flaw in the conviction, or otherwise. Att...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against the public: Begging + Censorship (Part Two)

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Reverse censorship. Flooding the public, often through online social networks, with false or misleading information is sometimes called "reverse censo...

Civil procedure: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: Summary judgment (Part Two)

07 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A party seeking summary judgment may refer to any evidence that would be admissible at trial, such as depositions (or deposition excerpts), party admi...

Tort law (2022): Damages: Punitive damages + Consequential damages

06 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Punitive damages, or exemplary damages, are damages assessed in order to punish the defendant for outrageous conduct and or to reform or deter the def...

Intellectual property (2023): Moral rights + Plant breeders' rights (Part One)

03 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Moral rights are rights of creators of copyrighted works generally recognized in civil law jurisdictions and, to a lesser extent, in some common law j...

Criminal procedure (2023): Post-sentencing: Probation

02 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against the public: Begging + Censorship (Part One)

01 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Begging (also panhandling) is the practice of imploring others to grant a favor, often a gift of money, with little or no expectation of reciprocation...

Civil procedure: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: Summary judgment (Part One)

31 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In law, a summary judgment (also judgment as a matter of law or summary disposition) is a judgment entered by a court for one party and against anothe...

Tort law (2022): Damages (Part Two)

30 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

General damages. General damages are monetary compensation for the non-monetary aspects of the specific harm suffered. These damages are sometimes ter...

Intellectual property (2023): Industrial design right + Integrated circuit layout design protection

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Industrial design right. An industrial design right is an intellectual property right that protects the visual design of objects that are purely utili...

Criminal procedure (2023): Post-sentencing: Parole

26 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by c...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against justice: Perjury

25 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Perjury (also known as foreswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or...

Civil procedure: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: Summary judgment (Part One)

24 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In law, a summary judgment (also judgment as a matter of law or summary disposition) is a judgment entered by a court for one party and against anothe...

Tort law (2022): Damages (Part One)

23 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award,...

Intellectual property: Indigenous intellectual property (Part Two)

20 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tambunan Statement, February 1995. Indigenous people of Asia met at Tambunan, Sabah, East Malaysia, to assert rights of self-determination, and to exp...

Criminal procedure (2023): Sentencing: Indefinite imprisonment + Three-strikes law

19 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Indefinite imprisonment or indeterminate imprisonment is the imposition of a sentence by imprisonment with no definite period of time set during sente...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against justice: Misprision of felony + Obstruction of justice

18 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Misprision of felony is a form of misprision, and an offense under the common law of England that is no longer active in many common law countries. Wh...

Civil procedure: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: Pre-trial procedure: Request for admissions + Request for production / Resolution without trial: Default judgment

17 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Request for admission. A request for admission (sometimes also called a request to admit) is a set of statements sent from one litigant to an adversar...

Tort law (2022): Liability: Joint and several liability + Market share liability + Transferred intent

16 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

oint and several liability. Where two or more persons are liable in respect of the same liability, in most common law legal systems they may either be...

Intellectual property: Indigenous intellectual property (Part One)

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Indigenous intellectual property is a term used in national and international forums to describe intellectual property that is "collectively owned" by...

Criminal procedure (2023): Sentencing: Execution warrant + Cruel and unusual punishment + Imprisonment + Life imprisonment

12 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An execution warrant (also called death warrant or black warrant) is a writ that authorizes the execution of a condemned person. An execution warrant ...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against justice: Miscarriage of justice (Part Two)

11 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Compensation for wrongful conviction Article 14(6) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) states that when a miscarriage ...

Civil procedure: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: Pre-trial procedure: Interrogatories + Deposition (Part Two)

10 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Conduct of depositions Depositions usually take place at the office of the court reporter or in the office of one of the law firms involved in a case....

Tort law (2022): Liability: Respondeat superior + Volenti non fit iniuria + Ex turpi causa non oritur actio (Part Two)

09 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trespassers. The Occupiers' Liability Act 1984 (and in Scotland the Occupiers' Liability (Scotland) Act 1960) requires all owners of property to take ...

Intellectual property: Geographical indication

06 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (for example, a town...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against justice: Miscarriage of justice (Part One)

05 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A miscarriage of justice occurs when a grossly unfair outcome occurs in a criminal or civil proceeding, such as the conviction and punishment of a per...

Criminal procedure (2023): Sentencing: Capital punishment (Part Two)

04 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Juvenile offenders. The death penalty for juvenile offenders (criminals aged under 18 years at the time of their crime although the legal or accepted ...

Civil procedure: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: Pre-trial procedure: Interrogatories + Deposition (Part One)

03 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In law, interrogatories (also known as requests for further information) are a formal set of written questions propounded by one litigant and required...

Tort law (2022): Liability: Respondeat superior + Volenti non fit iniuria + Ex turpi causa non oritur actio (Part One)

02 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Respondeat superior (Latin: "let the master answer"; plural: respondeant superiores) is a doctrine that a party is responsible for (has vicarious liab...

Intellectual property: Database right + Plant Treaty

30 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A database right is a sui generis property right, comparable to but distinct from copyright, that exists to recognise the investment that is made in c...

Criminal procedure (2023): Sentencing: Capital punishment (Part One)

29 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is a state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or ...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against justice: Compounding a felony + Malicious mischief + Malfeasance in office + Miscarriage of justice

28 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Compounding a felony was an offense under the common law of England and was classified as a misdemeanor. It consisted of a prosecutor or victim of an ...

Civil procedure: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: Pre-trial procedure: Discovery (Part Two)

27 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Federal law. Discovery in the United States is unique compared to other common law countries. In the United States, discovery is mostly performed by t...

Tort law (2022): Liability: Eggshell rule + Vicarious liability

26 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The eggshell rule (also thin skull rule, papier-mâché-plaintiff rule, or talem qualem rule) is a well-established legal doctrine in common law, used...

Intellectual property: Copyright (Part Three)

23 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Limitations and exceptions. In many jurisdictions, copyright law makes exceptions to these restrictions when the work is copied for the purpose of com...

Criminal procedure (2023): Sentencing: Dangerous offenders + Totality principle

22 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In Canada, England, and Wales, certain convicted persons may be designated as dangerous offenders and subject to a longer, or indefinite, term of impr...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against property: Vandalism

21 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property. The term includes property damage, such as graffi...

Civil procedure: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: Pre-trial procedure: Discovery (Part One)

20 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Discovery, in the law of common law jurisdictions, is a pre-trial procedure in a lawsuit in which each party, through the law of civil procedure, can ...

Tort law (2022): Liability: Intentional torts + Last clear chance

19 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An intentional tort is a category of torts that describes a civil wrong resulting from an intentional act on the part of the tortfeasor (alleged wrong...

Intellectual property: Copyright (Part Two)

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Registration. In all countries where the Berne Convention standards apply, copyright is automatic, and need not be obtained through official registrat...

Criminal procedure (2023): Sentencing: Suspended sentence + Custodial sentence + Weekend detention + Discharge + Sentencing guidelines

15 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A suspended sentence is a sentence on conviction for a criminal offense, the serving of which the court orders to be deferred in order to allow the de...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against property: Theft

14 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful o...

Civil procedure: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: Pre-trial procedure

13 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small num...

Tort law (2022): Defense: defense of property + Shopkeeper's privilege + Neutral reportage

12 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The defense of property is a common method of justification used by defendants who argue that they should not be held liable for any loss and injury t...

Intellectual property: Copyright (Part One) [Duplicate upload]

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative wo...

Criminal procedure (2023): Sentencing: Mandatory sentencing

08 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mandatory sentencing requires that offenders serve a predefined term for certain crimes, commonly serious and violent offenses. Judges are bound by la...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against property: Tax evasion

07 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tax evasion is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the de...

Civil procedure: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: Motion

06 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In United States law, a motion is a procedural device to bring a limited, contested issue before a court for decision. It is a request to the judge (o...

Tort law (2022): Defense: Right of self-defense

05 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The right of self-defense (also called, when it applies to the defense of another, alter ego defense, defense of others, defense of a third person) is...

Intellectual property: Copyright (Part One)

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative wo...

Criminal procedure (2023): Sentencing

01 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In law, a sentence is the punishment for a crime ordered by a trial court after conviction in a criminal procedure, normally at the conclusion of a tr...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against property: Smuggling

30 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across a...

Civil procedure: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: Interpleader

29 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Interpleader is a civil procedure device that allows a plaintiff or a defendant to initiate a lawsuit in order to compel two or more other parties to ...

Tort law (2022): Defense: Statute of limitations

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an ...

Intellectual Property: Author's rights

25 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

"Author's rights" is a term frequently used in connection with laws about intellectual property. The term is considered as a direct translation of the...

Criminal procedure (2023): Verdict + Conviction

24 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. In a bench trial, the judge's...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against property: Robbery

23 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery ...

Civil procedure: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: Joinder + indispensable party + Impleader + Intervention

22 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In law, a joinder is the joining of two or more legal issues together. Procedurally, a joinder allows multiple issues to be heard in one hearing or tr...

Tort law (2022): Defense: Assumption of risk + necessity

21 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Assumption of risk is a defense, specifically an affirmative defense, in the law of torts, which bars or reduces a plaintiff's right to recovery again...

Intellectual property (Part Three)

18 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Objections to overly broad intellectual property laws. Some critics of intellectual property, such as those in the free culture movement, point at int...

Criminal procedure (2023): Bail + Appeal

17 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditiona...

Criminal law (2022): Crimes against property: Possession of stolen goods

16 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Possession of stolen goods is a crime in which an individual has bought, been given, or acquired stolen goods. In many jurisdictions, if an individual...

Civil procedure: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: Answer + Affirmative defense + Reply + Counterclaim + Crossclaim

15 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In law, an answer was originally a solemn assertion in opposition to someone or something, and thus generally any counter-statement or defense, a repl...

Tort law (2022): Defenses: Consent

14 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Consent occurs when one person voluntarily agrees to the proposal or desires of another. It is a term of common speech, with specific definitions as u...