Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Special Reference: When someone needs information, help, or a decision, they may ask someone else for it. This is called a reference. Sometimes, a court may send a case to a special person called a referee to make a decision on specific questions of fact. The referee's findings are not binding decisions, but they are advisory. In patents, special reference means information that a patent examiner considers to be proof of unpredictability in the art or anticipatory prior art that forms a basis for one or more of an applicant's claims to be rejected.
Definition: Special reference is a legal term that refers to the act of sending a case to a referee for decisions on specific questions of fact. The special referee makes findings and reports them to the trial judge, who treats them as advisory only and not as binding decisions.
Example: In a court case, the judge may refer to a special referee to determine the validity of a particular piece of evidence. The special referee will investigate the evidence and report their findings to the judge, who will then use the information to make a decision.
This example illustrates how special reference is used in a legal context to help judges make informed decisions based on the findings of a referee.