Legal Terms and Definitions: Libel, Slander, UCC, Strict Liability, and More

Legal Terms and Definitions

Libel: a tort consisting of false and malicious publication printed for the purpose of defaming a living person.

Slander: an abusive attack on a person's character or good name.

Uniform Commercial Code (UCC): The purpose of UCC is to promote interstate commerce and facilitate the nurturing of business interests.

Strict Liability: Liability regardless of fault. In tort law, strict liability is imposed on those engaged in abnormally dangerous activities, on persons who keep dangerous animals, and on manufacturers or sellers that introduce into commerce goods that are unreasonably dangerous when in a defective condition.

Trademark: a word, name, symbol, device, or any combination of those used to identify and distinguish goods in commerce.

Arbitration: A form of procedure where disputes get settled.

Mediation: A form of negotiation in which the disputants negotiate in the presence of a neutral third party who assists them in negotiating a resolution of their dispute.

Negotiation: The parties meet informally with or without their attorneys and attempt to agree on a resolution.

Precedent: Decisions made by judges in past cases that subsequent cases must follow.

Difference Between Trespass and Conversion: An unprivileged intentional intrusion on property possessed by another.

Sliding Scale Standard: Used to determine when the exercise of jurisdiction over an out-of-state defendant is proper based on three types of internet business contacts.