diff --git a/interpreter.py b/interpreter.py
index 3da71a1ee..85d472eb1 100644
--- a/interpreter.py
+++ b/interpreter.py
@@ -872,7 +872,7 @@ class MesonMain(InterpreterObject):
         self.build.dep_manifest_name = args[0]
 
     def project_version_method(self, args, kwargs):
-        return self.build.dep_manifest[self.interpreter.active_projectname]
+        return self.build.dep_manifest[self.interpreter.active_projectname]['version']
 
 class Interpreter():
 
@@ -1377,7 +1377,9 @@ class Interpreter():
                 self.parse_default_options(kwargs['default_options'])
         self.active_projectname = args[0]
         self.project_version = kwargs.get('version', 'undefined')
-        self.build.dep_manifest[args[0]] = self.project_version
+        license = mesonlib.stringlistify(kwargs.get('license', 'unknown'))
+        self.build.dep_manifest[args[0]] = {'version': self.project_version,
+                                            'license': license}
         if self.subproject in self.build.projects:
             raise InvalidCode('Second call to project().')
         if not self.is_subproject() and 'subproject_dir' in kwargs:
diff --git a/test cases/common/49 subproject/meson.build b/test cases/common/49 subproject/meson.build
index 2616853b5..1e05ddfae 100644
--- a/test cases/common/49 subproject/meson.build	
+++ b/test cases/common/49 subproject/meson.build	
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
-project('subproj user', 'c', version : '2.3.4')
+project('subproj user', 'c', 
+  version : '2.3.4',
+  license : 'mylicense')
 
 sub = subproject('sublib', version : '1.0.0')
 
diff --git a/test cases/common/49 subproject/subprojects/sublib/meson.build b/test cases/common/49 subproject/subprojects/sublib/meson.build
index 922c6cfcd..3da031b49 100644
--- a/test cases/common/49 subproject/subprojects/sublib/meson.build	
+++ b/test cases/common/49 subproject/subprojects/sublib/meson.build	
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
-project('subproject', 'c', version : '1.0.0')
+project('subproject', 'c', 
+  version : '1.0.0',
+  license : ['sublicense1', 'sublicense2'])
 
 if not meson.is_subproject()
   error('Claimed to be master project even though we are a subproject.')