Legal Definitions - access

Access means having the right to use, communicate with, or approach something or someone. It can be used in different contexts:

In copyright, access refers to the ability of someone to see or obtain copyrighted material. If someone has access to the material, it can be used to determine if they have copied it without permission. However, access alone is not enough to prove copyright infringement. For example, if someone has never seen the copyrighted material, they can argue that any similarities between their work and the copyrighted work are coincidental.

Example: A songwriter claims that another artist copied their song. The artist argues that they have never heard the song before and did not have access to it.

In family law, access refers to visitation between a child and their non-custodial parent. The custodial parent may have limitations on the non-custodial parent's access, such as supervised visits.

Example: A divorced couple agrees that the non-custodial parent can have access to their child every other weekend.

In real estate, access means having the right to go to and from one's own property.

Example: A homeowner has access to their property through a private road that they share with their neighbors.

Overall, access is about having the right to use or approach something or someone, and it can have different meanings depending on the context.