[WarOnPrivacy]

> I'll bet if companies were pushed on this they'd suddenly start asserting that it's a lease, which I think is typically taxed similarly to a sale.

A lease allows for the buyer to own the product, free and clear of the seller.

[lotsofpulp]

Not in real estate. There is technically no difference between leasing and renting, other than the things that are colloquially associated with. A lease agreement (or rental agreement) may or may not have a clause offering the borrower an opportunity to take ownership.

Rent might also refer to the price portion of a leasing agreement (or rental agreement). So in shorthand usage, “the lease” might encompass all terms of borrowing something, including the price, but “the rent” might just refer to the price.