Law Dictionary Definitions

American  Intellectual  Property  Law  Association.A  national  bar  association  of  lawyers  who practice  patent, trademark,  copyright, trade-secret, and  unfair-competition law. • The association was  formerly  known  as  the  American  Patent  Law Association.  Membership  is also  open  to  law students who are interested in intellec-tual-property law. — Abbr. AIPLA. [Blacks Law 8th]

American Inns of Court Foundation.See INN OF COURT(2). [Blacks Law 8th]

American Indian law.See NATIVE AMERICAN LAW. [Blacks Law 8th]

American  Guild  of  Variety  Artists.A  labor  union  composed  of  performers  in  nightclubs, cabarets,  theaters,  and  other  areas  of  live  entertainment.  •  The  Guild  regulates  its  members’ contracts with agents through an agreement with the Artists’ Representatives Association. — Abbr. AGVA. [Blacks Law 8th]

American  Forces  Information  Service.An  agency  in  the  U.S.  Department  of  Defense responsible for operating the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service, the Armed Forces Press and  Publications  Service,  and  a  Broadcast  Center.  •  Established  in  1977,  the  Service  publishes various periodicals and pamphlets and the Stars and Stripes newspapers. — Abbr. AFIS. [Blacks Law 8th]

American  Federation  of  Television  and  Radio  Artists.A  labor  union  composed  of  actors, announcers, narrators, and vocalists. • In the entertainment industry, performers hired by producers that have agreements with the union must be paid according to the union’s set scale. It is affiliated with the AFL-CIO. — Abbr. AFTRA. [Blacks Law 8th]

American Federation of Musicians.A labor union composed of musicians, orchestra leaders, contractors, co-pyists, orchestrators, composers, and arrangers. • In the recording industry, artists hired  by  record  companies  that  have  agreements  with  the  union  must  be  paid  according  to  the union’s set scale. — Abbr. AF of M. [Blacks Law 8th]

American  Federation  of  Labor  and  Congress  of  Industrial  Organizations.A  voluntary affiliation  of  more  than  100  labor  unions  that  operate  autonomously  yet  benefit  from  the affiliation’s  political  activities  and  its  establishment  of  broad  policies  for  the  national  labor movement. — Abbr. AFL-CIO. [Blacks Law 8th]

American  Experience  Table  of  Mortality.Insurance.  A  chart  developed  by  insurers  in  the 1860s to predict mortality rates and thereby more accurately set insurance rates. • The Table was widely used by insurers to es-tablish rates until the 1950s. [Blacks Law 8th]

American  depository receipt.A receipt issued by an American bank as a substitute for stock shares in  a  for-eign-based  corporation.  •  ADRs are  the  most common  method  by  which  foreign companies secure American shareholders. Companies that offer ADRs maintain a stock listing in their  domestic  market  in  their  domestic  currency,  while  the  ADRs  are  held  in …