Resolution resolved: The United States federal government should substantially curtail its domestic surveillance. Violations

Defining substantial as “considerable” is ambiguous

Stark 97 (Stephen J., “Key Words And Tricky Phrases: An Analysis Of Patent Drafter's Attempts To Circumvent The Language Of 35 U.S.C.”, Journal of Intellectual Property Law, Fall, 5 J. Intell. Prop. L. 365, Lexis)

1. Ordinary Meaning. First, words in a patent are to be given their ordinary meaning unless otherwise defined. 30 However, what if a particular word has multiple meanings? For example, consider the word "substantial." The Webster dictionary gives eleven different definitions of the word substantial. 31 Additionally, there are another two definitions specifically provided for the adverb "substantially." 32 Thus, the "ordinary meaning" is not clear. The first definition of the word "substantial" given by the Webster's Dictionary is "of ample or considerable amount, quantity, size, etc." 33 Supposing that this is the precise definition that the drafter had in mind when drafting the patent, the meaning of "ample or considerable amount" appears amorphous. This could have one of at least the following interpretations: (1) almost all, (2) more than half, or (3) barely enough to do the job. Therefore, the use of a term, such as "substantial," which usually has a very ambiguous meaning, makes the scope of protection particularly hard to determine.