[beerandt]

IP was always taught to me as a negative right. Easiest explained with patents:

In that owning a patent doesn't even give you the right to make the invention described, it only allows you to prevent others from making it.

Especially true if you patent an improvement of someone else's patented invention.

Your patent isn't license to infringe on theirs.

But you can prevent them from using that improvement without having licensed your patent.

Although copyright and trademark are slightly different beasts.