Legal Definitions - eo ipso

Eo ipso is a Latin term that means by that very act or by itself. It signifies that a particular consequence or outcome occurs automatically and directly as a result of a specific action, fact, or condition, without any additional steps, proof, or intervention being required. The act or fact itself is sufficient to bring about the stated result.

• Example 1: Contractual Breach

  Imagine a software licensing agreement that states: "If the licensee attempts to reverse-engineer the software, the license shall be eo ipso revoked." This means that the moment the licensee engages in the act of reverse-engineering, the license is automatically terminated, without the licensor needing to send a separate notice of termination or take further legal steps to invalidate it. The act itself triggers the revocation.

• Example 2: Legal Status

  In some jurisdictions, a person who is declared legally bankrupt might be eo ipso disqualified from serving on a company's board of directors. This implies that the legal declaration of bankruptcy automatically and immediately results in their disqualification from board service, without requiring a separate vote or decision by the company or a court specifically for that purpose. The status of bankruptcy itself carries that consequence.

• Example 3: Policy Violation

  Consider a university's academic integrity policy which states that any student found to have plagiarized a significant portion of their thesis is eo ipso ineligible to graduate. In this scenario, the established finding of plagiarism automatically leads to the student's ineligibility for graduation, without the need for a separate committee decision specifically on their graduation status. The act of plagiarism, once confirmed, directly results in the consequence.