Zipper Definition: Separable fasteners of the slide-controlled type. In Lightning Fastener Co. Ltd. V. Canadian GoodrichCo., the litigants were disputing the entitlement to excluive use of the trademark zipper. Justice Thibaudeau Rinfret of Canada's Supreme Court took it upon himself to describe the zipper: "These are cross-appeals taken independently by each of the parties from the judgment of the President of the Exchequer Court (of Canada), refusing to order the registration by either party of the word Zipper as a specific trade-mark for separable fasteners of the slide-controlled type referred to as slide fasteners. "The latter may be described as devices consisting of two opposite series of members adapted to be attached one on each side of an aperture in some article and to interlock so as to close the aperture upon the slide being operated in one direction, or to separate so as to leave the aperture open upon the slide being operated in the opposite direction." REFERENCES: Lightning Fastener Co. Ltd. V. Canadian Goodrich Co. Ltd., [1932] SCR 189 Categories & Topics: Intellectual Property and Internet Law Dictionary Find you are constantly looking up definitions? Try our search provider (works in most modern browsers) If you find an error or omission in Duhaime's Legal Dictionary, or if you have legal term suggestion, we'd love to hear from you!