Mathworks .m files license condition

What are the license conditions of MathWorks .m files (note that everyone can see the code in them)?

Can I, as a developer, take one of their file, modify a couple of things (basically I found some bugs/limitations in how they handle their stuff) and redistribute this modified file? Also in deployed, publicy available apps?

Note: I don't want any credits for these modifications, so there is no problem in keeping the "Copyright 1990-2018 The MathWorks, Inc." declarement, eventually with a second statement that the code was modified and so MathWorks is no more responsible for it

Answer 1

[Steven Lord]

I will repeat what I said in my response to a similar question from Jakub Tomek:

"For questions about the license agreement you should contact Customer Service using the telephone icon in the upper-right corner of this page."

Customer Service can give you an official answer as to whether or not what you're planning to do conforms to the license agreement.

[Jacopo Remondina]

Thanks for the reply.

Anyway I would like to note out that this question was opened about one month earlier, so I couldn't find your answer at that time

Answer 2

[Walter Roberson]

It is a violation of the license agreement to publicly distribute a modified version of Mathworks code without permission of Mathworks.

[Jacopo Remondina]

Perfect. This answer my question. Can you gently point me to the license agreement where this is stated? Is it the main one for the Matlab software?

[Walter Roberson]

edit(fullfile(matlabroot, 'license_agreement.txt'))

The MathWorks, Inc. Software License Agreement

3. LICENSE RESTRICTIONS. The License granted is subject to the express

restrictions set forth below and any other restrictions set forth in any signed

agreement between MathWorks and Licensee. Licensee shall not, and shall not

cause or permit any other individual or entity to, directly or indirectly:

3.1. modify or create any derivative work of a Program, except as expressly

permitted in the Program Offering Guide;

3.6. sell, license, sublicense, provide access, publish, display,

distribute, disseminate, assign, or otherwise transfer to a Third Party the

Programs or any copy thereof, or any license or other rights thereto, in

whole or in part, without MathWorks' prior written consent, except as

expressly permitted in the Program Offering Guide;

Program Offering Guide

2. Deployment Rights for Derivative Forms

Your rights to create, use and distribute Derivative Forms are limited to those

rights expressly set forth in this Section 2.

You may distribute Derivative Forms to Third Parties only (a) as expressly

permitted in Section 3.4 (API Code) below, or (b) if the Third Party is bound

by a Software License Agreement with MathWorks that requires such Third Party

to treat such Derivative Forms received from you as its own Derivative Form

under its Software License Agreement.

[Walter Roberson]

To the above I would add that the File Exchange does not bind people to Software License Agreements sufficient for the purposes of section 2 on Derivative Forms.