Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Protected by trademark, patent, or copyright; made or produced or distributed by one having exclusive rights: Refers to something that is legally owned and controlled by a specific individual or company, preventing others from using, making, or selling it without permission.
   • Relating to ownership or a proprietor: Pertaining to the rights, status, or characteristics of an owner.

2. Noun:

   • An unincorporated business owned by a single person who is responsible for its liabilities and entitled to its profits: A specific type of business organization, also known as a sole proprietorship.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • The company fiercely guards its proprietary software code. (The company fiercely guards its legally owned and exclusive software code.)
  • 'Tylenol' is a proprietary drug of which 'acetaminophen' is the generic form. ('Tylenol' is a trademarked drug name, while 'acetaminophen' is its non-exclusive, generic name.)
  • He sold proprietary medicines from his small shop. (He sold medicines that were trademarked and produced under exclusive rights from his small shop.)

• Noun:

  • He runs his consulting firm as a proprietary. (He runs his consulting firm as a sole proprietorship, a business owned by one person.)
  • As a proprietary, she is personally liable for all business debts. (As the sole owner of an unincorporated business, she is personally responsible for all its debts.)

Advanced Usage

• "Proprietary information": Confidential knowledge or data that is owned by a company and gives it a competitive advantage.
  • Employees must sign agreements not to disclose proprietary information.
• "Proprietary interest": A legal or financial stake in something based on ownership rights.
  • The landlord has a proprietary interest in ensuring the building is maintained.

Variants and Related Words

• Proprietor (n): The owner of a business or property.
  • The proprietor of the hotel greeted us at the door.
• Proprietorship (n): The state or right of owning a business or property; often used synonymously with "proprietary" as a noun for a sole proprietorship.
  • He chose a simple proprietorship for his new venture.

Synonyms

• Adjective: Trademarked, patented, branded, exclusive, owned.
• Noun: Sole proprietorship, ownership.

Related Phrases

• "Proprietary rights": The legal rights of an owner.
  • The dispute centered on the proprietary rights to the invention.
• "Proprietary technology": Technology that is owned and protected by a specific entity.
  • The company's success is built on its proprietary technology.

Adjective

1. protected by trademark or patent or copyright; made or produced or distributed by one having exclusive rights
   • `Tylenol' is a proprietary drug of which `acetaminophen' is the generic form

Noun

1. an unincorporated business owned by a single person who is responsible for its liabilities and entitled to its profits