Proprietaarlitsentsid

Proprietaarlitsentsid, rendered in English as proprietary licenses, are legal instruments by which a copyright holder grants users certain rights to use software or digital content while retaining ownership. The licensor controls distribution, copying, modification, and redistribution, and access to source code is typically restricted or prohibited. A proprietary license is usually granted for a fee or subscription and binds the user to terms that govern installation, execution, and sharing. Terms may specify the number of devices, geographic regions, or users, and may prohibit reverse engineering or creating derivative works.

Key features include exclusive ownership by the licensor, limited rights to use rather than ownership, and enforcement mechanisms such as license keys, product activation, encryption, or digital rights management. Transferability is often restricted or prohibited; sublicensing and redistribution are commonly disallowed unless explicitly allowed.

Proprietary licenses are widely used for commercial software, firmware, and digital media. They contrast with open licenses that permit inspection, modification, and redistribution. In cloud services, terms may be governed by service agreements rather than traditional perpetual licenses. The approach supports revenue models, support, and controlled evolution of products, but is criticized for limiting interoperability, user freedom, and long-term access.