infringe
/ɪnˈfrɪn(d)ʒ
/verb (infringes, infringing, infringed) [with object]
1Actively break the terms of (a law, agreement, etc.): making an unauthorized copy would infringe copyright...
- It was held that the defendants infringed the plaintiff's exclusive right conferred by the Copyright Act 1911 to authorise a performance of the play.
- Not only are these of inferior quality, you could yourself be infringing copyright laws by using them, no matter how much you paid.
- Their first ground of challenge is that the regime is unlawful both because it infringes a fundamental common law right of access to the courts and because it is contrary to Section 32 of the 1988 Act.
Synonyms
contravene, violate, transgress, break, breach, commit a breach of, disobey, defy, flout, fly in the face of, ride roughshod over, kick against;
fail to comply with, fail to observe, disregard, take no notice of, ignore, neglect;
go beyond, overstep, exceed;
Law infract
informal cock a snook at
2Act so as to limit or undermine (something); encroach on: such widespread surveillance could infringe personal liberties [no object]: I wouldn’t infringe on his privacy...
- While this may seem to infringe on the personal liberty of those who can afford to buy two or more homes, it would increase the liberty of those who can, at present, no longer afford to buy one.
- There is a place for a healthy patriotism so long as it does not undermine or infringe on the rights and feelings of others.
- What right had he to infringe on my personal relationships?
Synonyms
undermine, erode, diminish, weaken, impair, damage, compromise;
limit, curb, check, place a limit on, encroach on, interfere with, disturb, disrupt
trespass on, encroach on, impinge on, intrude on, enter, invade;
barge in on, burst in on
archaic entrench on
Derivatives
infringer
/ noun ...- The infringer invades a statutorily defined province guaranteed to the copyright holder alone.
- This is a disappointing procedural decision, but it only changes the process by which we will file lawsuits against online infringers.
- No evidence was presented that the alleged infringers either distributed or authorised the reproduction of sound recordings.
Origin
Mid 16th century: from Latin infringere, from in- 'into' + frangere 'to break'.