low-quality, c.1200, shared by all, from imene, from Old English gemÃ¦ne common, public, general, universal, shared by all, from Proto-Germanic *ga-mainiz possessed jointly (cf. Old Frisian mene, Old Saxon gimeni, Middle Low German gemeine, Middle Dutch gemene, Dutch gemeen, German gemein, Gothic gamains common), from PIE *ko-moin-i-held in common, a compound adjective formed from collective prefix *ko-together (Proto-Germanic *ga-) + *moi-n-, suffixed form of PIE root *mei-to ...
proprietary protocol - Computer Definition. 1  A non-standard communications format and language owned by a single organization or individual. 2  A non-standard communications format and language owned by a single organization or individual. See protocol. Computer Desktop Encyclopedia THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher. Â© 1981-2017 The Computer Language Company Inc.
Proprietary software is computer software for which the software's publisher or another person retains intellectual property rightsâusually copyright of the source code, but sometimes patent rights.