Legal Definitions - mere license

Mere License

A permission, usually revocable, to perform an act that would otherwise be illegal. It does not transfer any property interest to the licensee and is based on personal trust. It is also known as a bare license.

• A license to hunt game on someone else's land
• A license to enter someone else's property to cut down a tree

A mere license is a permission granted by the owner of a property to someone else to perform an act that would otherwise be illegal. It is not a transfer of any property interest and is based on personal trust. For example, a license to hunt game on someone else's land is a mere license because it does not transfer any ownership of the land to the hunter. Similarly, a license to enter someone else's property to cut down a tree is a mere license because it does not transfer any ownership of the property to the person cutting down the tree. The license can be revoked at any time by the owner of the property.