license
LY-sunss
/ˈlaɪ.səns/
A permit from an authority to own or use something, perform a service, or carry on a business.
In IP law, a license grants permission to use protected assets without transferring actual ownership.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'licentia' meaning 'freedom, liberty, or permission', derived from 'licere' ('to be permitted'). It also gave rise to words like 'illicit' and 'licentious'.
Word relationships
- permit: A permit usually refers to governmental or administrative safety approval, while a license often covers commercial or property permissions.
- prohibition: A prohibition formally bans an action or usage.
Commonly confused with
- licence: In British English, 'licence' is the noun and 'license' is the verb; in American English, 'license' is used for both.
Word family
- licensee (noun): The party granted a license.
- licensor (noun): The party granting a license.
- licensing (noun): The act or process of issuing licenses.
Collocations
- license agreement
- grant a license
- obtain a license
- software license
Example sentences
- "The enterprise customer purchased a multi-user license to install the design software across all corporate workstations." Software distribution terms
- "The pharmaceutical developer agreed to license its patented compound to an international distributor." Corporate negotiation
Memory hook
A LICENSE gives you LICE-ENSE (permission) to use someone's property. LICENSE = Legal permission to operate.
When not to use
Do not use 'license' to mean absolute transfer or sale of underlying IP rights.
Fun facts
- Open-source software licenses like MIT and GPL allow anyone to modify software provided they maintain original copyright notices.
Related words
Explore more words
easement, give permission, asset, syndication, intellectual property, authorize
Also appears in
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