General Glossary Terms

Workers who provide a service or trade, independent of a permanent employment relationship. The term refers to people who are in business for themselves and frequently includes freelancers, consultants, designers, accountants, independent plumbers and carpenters and any other independent providers of trades. Independent contractors are frequently paid a set fee per project but are sometimes paid hourly for their work, depending on the field of business or type of project. Because of the tax implications of independent contractors, the IRS has strict rules about when an entity can be considered an independent contractor and when they are acting and being used more commonly as an employee of a business.

The process of being formally charged with a crime, typically a serious criminal offense. Indictments are determined by grand juries.

(IEP) the written, legal educational contract put into place once a child has been evaluated by a school system and assessed as having a learning disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). A team of school personnel and the child’s parents make up an IEP team which meets to develop special education intervention strategies and services to be provided to a child with a disability.

(IDEA) This act was passed in 1975 and reauthorized in 2004 and is the primary federal law that governs IEPs and the special education process. IDEA guarantees that children with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment.

The rights held by the owner of design patent, protecting the form, appearance, style, or design of an industrial object (i.e. furniture or machinery parts).

A phrase used sometimes to describe industrial or commercial patents, trademarks, and design rights.