Published by STRUB.LAW

Berlin Online Glossary

of German Business Law

Painting: Reiner Strub Painting: Reiner Strub Painting: Reiner Strub Painting: Reiner Strub Painting: Reiner Strub
© Nachlass Reiner Strub
Back to the overview

Intellectual property

Licence (Lizenz)

[from Latin ‘licentia’, ‘permission’] contractual permission to use another party’s IP right, such as a trade mark, a patent or copyright. An exclusive licence gives the licensee the sole right of use, even against the licensor. A non-exclusive licence permits use alongside others. The consideration is usually a licence fee, either fixed or based on revenue.

In practice

Licence agreements are an essential part of doing business. To avoid expensive cease-and-desist letters or notional licence fees, it must be clear for all intellectual property used whether a licence is needed, already exists or can be acquired. Especially at the beginning, businesses often forget to obtain sufficient rights of use to images, texts, software and trade marks. This comes to light in due diligence, in a funding round at the latest.

Term 21 of 44 · As at 9 September 2026

Related terms

Referenced in

Licence: CC BY 4.0*

How to cite: Licence (Lizenz), in: Berlin Online Glossary of German Business Law, published by STRUB.LAW, as at 9 September 2026, https://strub.law/en/glossary/licence/, CC BY 4.0

*This licence applies only to the written entries of the Berlin Online Glossary.

The entries are carefully researched and reflect the position as at the date stated in each entry. They provide an initial overview and are no substitute for legal advice on your specific case. I cannot guarantee that they are accurate, complete or up to date. I am happy to discuss with you which rule applies to your situation. Have you spotted a mistake or do you have a comment? I would be glad to hear from you at info@strub.law.