"A license (American English) or licence (British English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of ...
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that permission or permit).
A license is granted by a party to another party as an element of an agreement between those parties. In the case of a license issued by a government, the license is obtained by applying for it. In the case of a private party, it is by a specific agreement, usually in writing (such as a lease or other contract). The simplest definition is "A license is a promise not to sue," because, with the exception of a marriage license (which merely grants official recognition of the relationship between the two people), a license either permits the licensed party to engage in an activity which is illegal, and subject to prosecution, without the license (e.g. fishing, driving an automobile, or operating a broadcast radio or television station), or it permits the licensed party to do something that would violate the rights of the licensing party (e.g. make copies of a copyrighted work), which, without the license, the licensed party could be sued, civilly, criminally, or both." - (en.wikipedia.org 06.01.2021)