Inducement

Definition
Inducement is "the act or process of enticing or persuading another person to take a certain course of action."

Types
There are different types of inducement in various aspects of the law such as:

1. Contract law "Fraud in the inducement",

2. Criminal law "Inducement to commit a crime" or,

3. Patent law "Active inducement of infringement"

Inducement of infringement
In patent law a person may be liable for patent infringement even if they do not commit direct infringement. Under 35 U.S.C. §271(b), "[w]hoever actively induces infringement of a patent shall be liable as an infringer." In order to prove inducement one must show that, (1) the inducer had knowledge of the asserted patent, (2) there was direct infringement by some third party allegedly induced (3) the inducer had the actual intent to cause acts which he knew or should have known would induce infringement and (4) the commission of an act that constitutes inducement, not merely the power to act or failure therein.