License
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2008-07-07T00:33:31Z
Leevanjackson
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/* Business licenses - Small and Home Business */ removed - commercial and irrelevant links
{{selfref|For Wikipedia's licensing policy, see [[Wikipedia:Copyrights]].}}
{{PropertyLaw}}
The verb '''license''' or '''grant license''' means to give permission. The noun '''licence''' (or license in [[American and British English spelling differences#-ce .2F -se|American spelling]]) is the document demonstrating that permission. License may be granted by a party ("licensor") to another party ("licensee") as an element of an agreement between those parties. A shorthand definition of a license is "a promise (by the licensor) not to sue (the licensee)."
==Intellectual property==
A licensor may grant '''license''' under "[[intellectual property]]" to do something (such as copy software or use a [[patent]]ed invention) without fear of a claim of intellectual property infringement brought by the licensor.
A license under intellectual property commonly has several component parts, including a '''term''', '''territory''', '''renewal''', as well as other limitations deemed vital to the licensor.
'''Term:''' many licenses are valid for a particular length of time. This protects the licensor should the value of the license increase, or market conditions change.
'''Territory:''' a license may stipulate what territory the rights pertain to. For example, a license with a territory limited to "North America" (United States/Canada) would not permit a licensee any protection from actions for use in Japan.
=== Mass licensing of software ===
{{Main|Software license agreement}}
Mass distributed software is used by individuals on personal computers under license from the developer of that software. Such license is typically included in a more extensive end-user license agreement (EULA) entered into upon the installation of that software on a computer.
Under a typical end-user license agreement, the user may install the software on a limited number of computers.
The enforceability of end-user license agreements is sometimes [[Software license agreement#Enforceability|questioned]].
=== Trademark and brand licensing ===
A licensor may grant permission to a licensee to distribute products under a [[trademark]]. With such a license, the licensee may use the trademark without fear of a claim of trademark infringement by the licensor.
=== Artwork and character licensing===
A licensor may grant a permission to a licensee to copy and distribute [[copyright]]ed works such as "art" (e.g., [[Thomas Kincaid]]'s painting "Dawn in Los Gatos") and characters (e.g., [[Mickey Mouse]]). With such license, a licensee need not fear a claim of copyright infringement brought by the licensor.
==Academy==<!-- This section is linked from [[Ecclesiastical court]] -->
[[Image:Criminal law authorized reprint.jpg|thumb|A book published in the U.S. and its licensed Chinese reprint (for sale in [[Mainland China]] only)]]
:''National examples of the License are listed at [[Licentiate]]''
A '''licence''' is an [[academic degree]]. Originally, in order to teach at a university, one needed this degree which, according to its title, gave the bearer a license to teach. The name survived despite the fact that nowadays [[doctorate]] is typically needed in order to teach at a university. A person who holds a licence is called a [[licentiate]].
In Sweden and some European [[university|universities]] it is approximately equivalent to an [[MPhil]] or [[MRes]]. In those countries, a licence is a middle-level degree between a master's degree and a doctorate, taken by doctoral canidates, and is a popular choice in those countries where a "true" Phd would take five or more years to achieve.
In other countries, i.e. [[Poland]] or [[France]], a licence is achieved before the master's degree (it takes 3 years of studies to become [[licentiate]] and 2 additional years to become Master).In Switzerland, a licence is a 4-year degree then there is a [[(DEA (former French degree)|DEA]] degree which is equivalent to the [[Master's degree]]. In [[Portugal]], before the [[Bologna process]], students would become licentiates after 5 years of studies (4 years in particular cases like Marketing, Management, etc; and 6 years for Medicine). However, since the adoption of the [[Bologna Process]] engineering degrees in Portugal were changed from a 5 year licence to a 3 year licence followed by 2 years for the MSc: Not having the MSc doesn't confer accreditation by the [[Ordem dos Engenheiros]])
==See also==
* [[Software license]]
* [[Intellectual property]]
** [[Brand licensing]]
** [[Licensing Industry Merchandiser's Association]]
** [[Cross-licensing|Cross-licensing agreement]]
** [[Statutory license]]
** [[Compulsory license]]
** [[Royalties]]
* [[Aviator]]
* [[Private Pilot's License]]
* [[Amateur radio license]]
* [[Federal Communications Commission]]
* [[Music Licensing]]
* [[Dog license]], [[Driver's license]], [[Television license]], [[Fishing]] license, [[Hunting]] license
==References==
{{Unreferenced|date=August 2007}}
==External links==
{{wiktionarypar|license}}
* [http://www.licensing.org/Licensing Industry Merchandiser's Association]
* [http://bslg.com Broad Street Licensing Group (useful information about licensing from a licensing agency)]
* [http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/24131.html Danish local government rebels against MS license terms]
* [http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2003/20030017.htm Licensing Act 2003] - England & Wales
* [http://www.brousseau.info/pdf/CBEBTLPF.pdf ''Technology Licensing Practices in France''] by Christian Bessy and Eric Brousseau - survey of patenting and licensing strategies in [[France]]
===Wikibooks===
* [[b:FOSS Licensing|Free/Open Source Software:Licensing]]
[[Category:Licenses|*]]
[[Category:Business law]]
[[Category:Strategic alliances]]
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