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Glossary
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- Licensingsearch for term
- Licensing refers to the process in which permission is granted to perform a specific act, use a given good, or provide a service that is already copyrighted by someone else. In terms of copyright law, licensing refers to the rights granted to an individual to use another person's copyrighted material. For example, an upcoming band can purchase a license to record and distribute a cover of Johnny Cash's song "Ring of Fire." So, a license may require paying a fee or proving a capability. Some licenses only stay in effect for a certain amount of time. A license allows the owner of a copyright to control the use and reach of their patent or trademark by guaranteeing that other people can only legally use the material or product after paying a fee and gaining the explicit permission of the creator. The licensee is in turn protected from getting sued for copyright infringement. Licensing is a two-way protection. Software licensing is a legal instrument governing the usage and redistribution of software. Many activists protest the validity of software licensing at all, and have launched free software movements like the Free Software Foundation in response. The Free Software Foundation offers software at no charge and without the requirement to purchase a license before use.
