Royalty
ROYALTY (O. Fr. realte, reialte, royaulte, from Med. Lat. regalltas, the substantive of regalis, of or belonging to a king, rex), kingly state or personality, hence a royal person, or number of persons of royal birth collectively, a member of a royal family. More particularly " royalty " is used of the rights and attributes of a sovereign, and especially of dues paid to the crown, which belong to the sovereign jure coronae, such as dues from gold and silver mines, waifs, estrays, etc. The term is usually applied to the payment made by a publisher to an author on every copy of his book sold; to the payment made to a patentee on each article manufactured under his patent by a licensee (see PATENTS), and to the payment made to the owner of minerals for the right of working, paid on the ton or other weight raised.
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)
