proprietary pro‧pri‧e‧ta‧ry [prəˈpraɪətri ǁ -teri] adjective
1. based on ideas, information etc belonging to one particular company, rather than on ideas etc that any company can use:
• The process we use to review what we market is proprietary, and therefore it's our policy not to discuss it.
• Proprietary information about a company's commodity buying plans could influence the markets if it were publicly known.
• The computer uses a proprietary operating system rather than Microsoft's Windows.
2. MARKETING a proprietary product is sold under a company's brand name, rather than a generic name (= a general name for a type of product):
• Award's contact lenses are sold both under its own name and under retailers' proprietary brands.
• proprietary drugs
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Proprietary UK US /prəˈpraɪətəri/ US /prəˈpraɪəteri/ adjective (WRITTEN ABBREVIATION Pty)
► LAW used in the names of companies in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa: »
Tenneco Energy Australia Pty Ltd
Financial and business terms. 2012.