Licensing

A license agreement is a contract that permits a person or a company other than the owner of the patent to make, sell, import, etc. (all the things a non-owner is generally prohibited from doing) as if he was the owner in exchange for paying royalties to the patent owner.  This is often a good option for a patent owner who may be unable to fully exploit the value of his patent on his own.  Large companies also choose to license some of their patents as a means to bring in royalty revenue from a non-core aspect of their business.