Doctrine of equivalents

{
  "id": "MLC-T-LAW-001701",
  "term": "Doctrine of equivalents",
  "field": "Law",
  "definition": "A legal principle in patent law that allows a finding of patent infringement even when the accused product or process does not literally infringe every claim limitation. Infringement occurs if the accused device performs substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve substantially the same result as the patented invention. This doctrine prevents infringers from making minor changes to avoid literal infringement.",
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/law/doctrine-of-equivalents/"
}