diff --git a/syft/pkg/cataloger/python/package.go b/syft/pkg/cataloger/python/package.go
index 59fd9f6b5..76c092a05 100644
--- a/syft/pkg/cataloger/python/package.go
+++ b/syft/pkg/cataloger/python/package.go
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 
 	"github.com/anchore/packageurl-go"
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/internal/licenses"
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/internal/log"
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/file"
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/pkg"
 )
@@ -55,13 +57,37 @@ func newPackageForRequirementsWithMetadata(name, version string, metadata pkg.Py
 	return p
 }
 
-func newPackageForPackage(m parsedData, sources ...file.Location) pkg.Package {
+func newPackageForPackage(resolver file.Resolver, m parsedData, sources ...file.Location) pkg.Package {
+	var licenseSet pkg.LicenseSet
+	if m.Licenses != "" {
+		licenseSet = pkg.NewLicenseSet(pkg.NewLicensesFromLocation(m.LicenseLocation, m.Licenses)...)
+	} else if m.LicenseLocation.Path() != "" {
+		// If we have a license file then resolve and parse it
+		found, err := resolver.FilesByPath(m.LicenseLocation.Path())
+		if err != nil {
+			log.WithFields("error", err).Tracef("unable to resolve python license path %s", m.LicenseLocation.Path())
+		}
+		if len(found) > 0 {
+			metadataContents, err := resolver.FileContentsByLocation(found[0])
+			if err == nil {
+				parsed, err := licenses.Parse(metadataContents, m.LicenseLocation)
+				if err != nil {
+					log.WithFields("error", err).Tracef("unable to parse a license from the file in %s", m.LicenseLocation.Path())
+				}
+				if len(parsed) > 0 {
+					licenseSet = pkg.NewLicenseSet(parsed...)
+				}
+			} else {
+				log.WithFields("error", err).Tracef("unable to read file contents at %s", m.LicenseLocation.Path())
+			}
+		}
+	}
 	p := pkg.Package{
 		Name:      m.Name,
 		Version:   m.Version,
 		PURL:      packageURL(m.Name, m.Version, &m.PythonPackage),
 		Locations: file.NewLocationSet(sources...),
-		Licenses:  pkg.NewLicenseSet(pkg.NewLicensesFromLocation(m.LicenseLocation, m.Licenses)...),
+		Licenses:  licenseSet,
 		Language:  pkg.Python,
 		Type:      pkg.PythonPkg,
 		Metadata:  m.PythonPackage,
diff --git a/syft/pkg/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg.go b/syft/pkg/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg.go
index e98fe9de8..a50f9d558 100644
--- a/syft/pkg/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg.go
+++ b/syft/pkg/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg.go
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ func parseWheelOrEgg(resolver file.Resolver, _ *generic.Environment, reader file
 		return nil, nil, nil
 	}
 
-	pkgs := []pkg.Package{newPackageForPackage(*pd, sources...)}
+	pkgs := []pkg.Package{newPackageForPackage(resolver, *pd, sources...)}
 
 	return pkgs, nil, nil
 }
diff --git a/syft/pkg/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg_metadata.go b/syft/pkg/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg_metadata.go
index a52119995..81910483d 100644
--- a/syft/pkg/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg_metadata.go
+++ b/syft/pkg/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg_metadata.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import (
 
 type parsedData struct {
 	Licenses          string `mapstructure:"License"`
+	LicenseFile       string `mapstructure:"LicenseFile"`
 	LicenseLocation   file.Location
 	pkg.PythonPackage `mapstructure:",squash"`
 }
@@ -82,6 +83,8 @@ func parseWheelOrEggMetadata(path string, reader io.Reader) (parsedData, error)
 	pd.SitePackagesRootPath = determineSitePackagesRootPath(path)
 	if pd.Licenses != "" {
 		pd.LicenseLocation = file.NewLocation(path)
+	} else if pd.LicenseFile != "" {
+		pd.LicenseLocation = file.NewLocation(filepath.Join(filepath.Dir(path), pd.LicenseFile))
 	}
 
 	return pd, nil
diff --git a/syft/pkg/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg_metadata_test.go b/syft/pkg/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg_metadata_test.go
index d3a927512..e661dc579 100644
--- a/syft/pkg/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg_metadata_test.go
+++ b/syft/pkg/cataloger/python/parse_wheel_egg_metadata_test.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ func TestParseWheelEggMetadata(t *testing.T) {
 			Fixture: "test-fixtures/egg-info/PKG-INFO",
 			ExpectedMetadata: parsedData{
 				"Apache 2.0",
+				"",
 				file.NewLocation("test-fixtures/egg-info/PKG-INFO"),
 				pkg.PythonPackage{
 					Name:                 "requests",
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@ func TestParseWheelEggMetadata(t *testing.T) {
 			Fixture: "test-fixtures/dist-info/METADATA",
 			ExpectedMetadata: parsedData{
 				"BSD License",
+				"",
 				file.NewLocation("test-fixtures/dist-info/METADATA"),
 				pkg.PythonPackage{
 					Name:                 "Pygments",
@@ -134,6 +136,7 @@ func TestParseWheelEggMetadataInvalid(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			Fixture: "test-fixtures/egg-info/PKG-INFO-INVALID",
 			ExpectedMetadata: parsedData{
+				"",
 				"",
 				file.Location{},
 				pkg.PythonPackage{