None Reference Dictionary

Legal and insurance terms explained plainly

Can an insurance company say no even when the policy should cover the loss? Yes - and when it does that without a reasonable basis, or without properly investigating the claim,...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-31

bodily injury liability

Coverage that pays when you are legally responsible for hurting someone else. "Coverage" means part of an insurance policy, usually auto insurance, with a dollar limit. "Pays"...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-01

cease and desist letter

Like a hard brake before a pileup, this is a written warning telling someone to stop doing something now and not start again. Legally, a cease and desist letter is usually sent...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

claims adjuster

Insurance companies often present this person as a neutral helper: someone "working on your claim" who just needs a statement, a medical release, or one more conversation to...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-02

coordination of benefits

A rule used when a person is covered by more than one insurance plan, telling the insurers which plan pays first, which pays second, and how much each must cover so the same...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-28

copyright fair use

Giving credit, using only part of a work, or making no money from it does not automatically make the use lawful. Copyright fair use is a limited defense under U.S. law that...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-24

copyright registration

You just got a letter that says your photos, music, writing, or website copy were used without permission, and it asks whether the work is "registered with the U.S. Copyright...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-22

declarations page

One page can make or break how much money is available after a crash, fire, or other loss. If the numbers on it are wrong, too low, or missing a vehicle, driver, or address, an...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-29

deductible

Think of it like the part of a repair bill you agree to cover before anyone else chips in. A deductible is the amount an insurance policy makes the policyholder pay out of...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-02

DMCA takedown notice

Not a court order, and not proof that someone actually infringed a copyright. It is a formal request sent under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA), usually...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

examination under oath

Miss this for a routine phone call, answer loosely, or skip it, and an insurer may use that against you to delay, reduce, or even deny your claim. An examination under oath is...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-27

exclusion clause

Why is the insurer saying this part of the loss "isn't covered"? Usually because the policy has an exclusion clause - contract language that takes certain events, injuries,...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-31

independent adjuster

Like hiring a freelance mechanic instead of taking your truck to the dealership, an independent adjuster is a claims worker brought in by an insurance company on contract...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-03

licensing agreement

You just got a letter that says you can use a logo, song, software program, patented design, or other protected material only if you sign a licensing agreement. That is a...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

likelihood of confusion test

People mix this up with actual confusion, and that mistake matters. Actual confusion means real buyers were genuinely fooled - wrong calls, misdirected orders, bad reviews...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

MedPay

You just got a letter that says some of your ER bill may be covered by "MedPay," and nobody has explained whether that helps you or hurts your case. MedPay is short for medical...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-28

named insured

You'll usually see this on the declarations page of an insurance policy, in a denial letter, or when a claims adjuster says, "Only the named insured can make that change." It...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-28

non-compete vs non-solicitation

Misreading these clauses can cost a worker a new job, trigger a lawsuit, or put a business's customer list and trade secrets at risk. A non-compete restricts where, when, or...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

patent infringement

What trips people up most is that copying is not required. Someone can infringe a patent by making, using, selling, offering to sell, or importing a covered invention without...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-27

patent prosecution

Defense lawyers may throw around "patent prosecution" in a way that sounds like someone is being accused of a crime. It is not criminal prosecution. In plain English, it means...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

personal injury protection

Not the same as liability insurance, which pays for someone else's injuries if you cause a crash. Personal injury protection - usually called PIP - is coverage under your own...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-01

PIP exhaustion

Not the same as being tired of dealing with your insurer, and not a denial of coverage by itself. PIP exhaustion means the benefits available under a Personal Injury Protection...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-03

policy limits

The part that catches people off guard is that this number is usually the maximum an insurance company has to pay under a claim, not the amount your case is worth. If your...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-04

prior art search

Money is usually the first reason to do one: a thorough check can prevent filing fees, attorney fees, product launch costs, and later patent infringement disputes over an...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-27

recorded statement

You may hear, "We just need to take your recorded statement," or see a claims letter asking you to call so an adjuster can "get your version of events on the record." Usually,...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-31

reservation of rights letter

A reservation of rights letter is often confused with a denial letter, but they are not the same. A denial letter says the insurer is refusing coverage or refusing to defend a...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-30

royalty agreement

Money often turns on this document. A well-drafted royalty agreement can decide who gets paid, how much, how often, and what happens when sales numbers look a little too...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-27

stacking

Combining insurance limits from more than one policy or vehicle for a single claim. "Combining" means adding coverage together instead of being stuck with just one limit....

DICTIONARY 2026-03-29

step-down provision

The part that catches people off guard is this: the policy may show a big coverage limit on the declarations page, but a hidden clause can cut that amount way down for certain...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-03

subrogation

Why is an insurance company asking for money out of a settlement that is supposed to help pay for injuries? Subrogation is the right of an insurer, benefit plan, or government...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-28

trade dress protection

Legal protection for a product's or business's distinctive look and feel. That can include packaging, design, color combinations, store layout, or other visual features that...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-26

trade secret misappropriation

You may see this phrase in a cease-and-desist letter, a lawsuit, an employment agreement, or a warning from a former business partner claiming you "used confidential...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-25

trademark infringement

People often mix this up with copyright infringement, but they protect different things. Trademark infringement is the unauthorized use of a word, name, logo, slogan, trade...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-26

trademark registration

Defense lawyers like to point to a missing federal filing and say, in effect, "You never locked this down, so your brand rights are weak." That can scare people into thinking...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

umbrella policy

An extra layer of liability insurance that kicks in after the limits on your auto, home, or other underlying policy have been used up. Think of it as backup coverage for a bad...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-30

uninsured motorist coverage

Think of it like a spare life jacket on a boat: you hope you never need it, but it is there when someone else fails to bring basic safety gear. Uninsured motorist coverage is...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-29

utility patent vs design patent

Not a choice between "better" and "weaker" protection, and not a shortcut where one patent automatically covers everything about a product. That is bad advice. A utility patent...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-25