License 40412 224031712 2008-07-07T00:33:31Z Leevanjackson 1122214 /* 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]] [[bg:Лиценз]] [[cs:Licence]] [[de:Lizenz]] [[es:Licencia]] [[eo:Permesilo]] [[fr:Licence (juridique)]] [[hr:Licenca]] [[it:Licenza (informatica)]] [[hu:Licenc]] [[nl:Licentie]] [[ja:ライセンス]] [[ko:라이선스]] [[no:Konsesjon]] [[nn:Konsesjon]] [[pl:Licencja]] [[pt:Licença]] [[ru:Лицензия]] [[sq:Liçensë (Software)]] [[simple:License]] [[th:สัญญาอนุญาต]] [[fi:Lisenssi]] [[uk:Ліцензія]]