Legal Definitions - artifice

An artifice refers to a clever and often subtle maneuver, trick, or scheme, typically employed to mislead, deceive, or gain an unfair advantage. It involves a deliberate contrivance designed to create a false impression or obscure the truth.

• Example 1 (Business Deception): A company launched a new "eco-friendly" product line, heavily promoting its sustainable packaging and natural ingredients. However, internal documents later revealed that the product's core components were manufactured using highly polluting processes, and the "natural" ingredients were present in negligible amounts, primarily for marketing purposes.

  This marketing campaign was an artifice because it involved a clever, deliberate scheme to mislead consumers into believing the product was environmentally superior, thereby gaining a market advantage through deception rather than genuine sustainability.

• Example 2 (Contractual Misrepresentation): In negotiating the sale of a used car, the seller meticulously covered up a significant rust issue on the vehicle's frame with body filler and a fresh coat of paint, making the car appear structurally sound to potential buyers.

  The seller's actions constituted an artifice, as they employed a deliberate and clever trick (concealing the rust) to deceive buyers about the car's true condition and secure a higher sale price than the vehicle was genuinely worth.

• Example 3 (Identity Fraud): An individual created a sophisticated fake online profile, complete with fabricated professional credentials and a convincing backstory, to gain access to a restricted professional networking group and extract sensitive industry information from its members.

  The creation of the elaborate fake online profile was an artifice, a cunning and deceptive scheme designed to mislead others about the individual's identity and qualifications to gain unauthorized access and illicitly obtain valuable information.