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You don't need to do that, Oytun. You can if you want to, but it's
your code, not theirs. Here is my attempt at an explanation (which
probably only applies to the US, and anyway I am not a lawyer): Copyright is basically the right to prohibit people from making copies, including near-copies (or other "derivative works"). You own the copyright. (You can sell or give away the copyright, but you haven't.) You have given people a (very permissive) license to use the code, but you still own it. There is a distinction between owning the code's copyright (that's you) and having a license to use the code (that's everyone else). Using software essentially involves making copies, so other people need a license from you (license = permission) in order to use your code. The license you give them specifies the terms under which they can use it. If they violate those terms, they no longer have a valid license, they are infringing your copyright (= making illegal copies), and you can sue them. In the case of free software, you offer a license to anyone who wants one, without signing a contract with you first, under the terms you set (in this case, the terms of the BSD license). Free software licenses explicitly give people permission to use, copy, and modify the code, and to distribute modified versions, sometimes with the restriction that people make the same rights available to others (= copyleft, like the GPL). They don't give away the copyright; you still own the copyright. The Mathworks cannot sue anyone for copyright infringement for using your code, no matter where they got it from. It is your code, and you own the copyright. You're the only one who can sue, because you're the only one whose rights could have been infringed. The MATLAB Central Terms of Use govern one's use of the website, not the code. If someone uses code from MATLAB Central with Octave, all The Mathworks can do is say he's violated the website's Terms of Use and refuse to give him access to the site, or possibly delete your code from the site (and I'm not sure they're likely to do either). You can also give the code to whomever you choose. You own the copyright, and nothing in the license says that you won't also license the code to other people, under the same license or a different one. (Sometimes, in business, people sign exclusive licenses, meaning a copyright holder or patent owner gives a license to just one person or company and promises not to give a license to anyone else. But that's not the case here.) I hope this helps clarify the issue. I contacted The Mathworks some time ago about that line in their Terms of Use being a in conflict with the BSD license, and they said their legal department would look into it. Maybe it's time to follow up. Joe V. On 9/28/2011 10:02 AM, B. Oytun Peksel wrote:
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