Proprietary software is a subset of non-free software, a term defined in contrast to free and open-source software non-commercial licenses such as CC BY-NC are not deemed proprietary, but are non-free. Proprietary software is software that, according to the free and open-source software community, grants its creator, publisher, or other rightsholder or rightsholder partner a legal monopoly by modern copyright and intellectual property law to exclude the recipient from freely sharing the software or modifying it, and-in some cases, as is the case with some patent-encumbered and EULA-bound software-from making use of the software on their own, thereby restricting their freedoms.
Not to be confused with Commercial software or Business software.
