Doctrine of Equivalents

The Doctrine of Equivalents is a legal principle in patent law that prevents someone from making a minor change to a patented invention to avoid infringement, while still achieving the same result. Essentially, if a new product or process performs substantially the same function in substantially the same way as the patented one, it can still be considered an infringement—even if it doesn't copy the exact details. This doctrine ensures inventors' rights are protected against clever modifications that fundamentally replicate their innovation without directly copying it.