Proprietary

Something proprietary is something exclusively owned by someone, often with connotations that it is exclusive and cannot be used by other parties without negotiations. It may specifically mean that something is covered by one or more patents.

Etymology

The word proprietary comes from the French proprietaire, from the Latin proprietarius. Compare with the Latin proprietas, property, and proprius, owned.

See also

• Egalitary
• Proprietary software
• Intellectual property