They have said they would spend the windfall gain from selling 4G licences even though Gordon Brown used the sale of 3G licences to pay down the debt, and even though Labour has said that any windfall from selling bank shares should be used in the same way.

BBC: Labour - what did they mean by that?

The council is also waiving fees to licensees to alter licences to exclude the sale of strong lagers.

BBC: Thames Valley Police ponder strong alcohol ban

In part, this is due to stronger growth and windfalls for governments from the sale of third-generation mobile-telephone licences.

ECONOMIST: Stumbling yet again?

IBM, for example, the majority of its intellectual-property revenue comes from the sale of know-how, not patent licences alone.

ECONOMIST: The arms race