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RunMat License

RunMat is free and open source software with clear, fair licensing terms. This page explains what you can and cannot do with RunMat.

Free for Most Uses

Individuals, researchers, students, and most companies can use RunMat freely

Attribution Required

Must credit “RunMat by Dystr” in distributions and derivative works

Special Rules

Commercial scientific software companies must keep modifications open source

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use RunMat for free?

Yes! RunMat is completely free for:

  • Individual researchers and scientists
  • Academic institutions and educational organizations
  • Students for learning and coursework
  • Most commercial companies and startups
  • Open source projects
  • Government agencies and non-profits
What does "attribution required" mean?

Any distribution or modification of RunMat must credit "RunMat by Dystr". This includes:

  • Startup messages or about dialogs
  • Documentation and README files
  • Package names or project titles
  • Web interfaces showing "Powered by RunMat by Dystr"

This ensures Dystr receives appropriate credit for creating RunMat.

What are the special rules for scientific software companies?

Companies whose primary business involves developing, licensing, or selling scientific computing software (like MathWorks, Ansys, COMSOL, etc.) must distribute any RunMat modifications as open source under the same license.

This does NOT apply to:

  • Companies using RunMat without modification
  • Companies whose primary business is not scientific computing software
  • Internal modifications not distributed to third parties
  • Academic institutions or research organizations
Can I create proprietary software that uses RunMat?

Yes! Most users can create proprietary software that uses or embeds RunMat. The license only requires that if you distribute or modify RunMat itself, you must:

  • You provide attribution to "RunMat by Dystr"
  • You include the license notice
  • Any modifications to RunMat itself are shared (if you're a scientific software company)

Your own code that calls RunMat functions remains proprietary.

How does this compare to other open source licenses?

RunMat's license is based on the MIT License with two additional requirements:

  • Attribution: Similar to BSD licenses, ensures credit is maintained
  • Targeted copyleft: Only applies to large scientific software companies, ensuring community contributions

For most users, it's as permissive as MIT. For the few companies it affects, it encourages open source contribution rather than proprietary appropriation.

I'm still not sure if my use case is allowed. What should I do?

When in doubt, reach out! We're happy to clarify licensing questions and work with you to ensure your use case is properly covered.

legal@dystr.com

Full License Text

# License RunMat is licensed under the **MIT License** with **Attribution Requirements** and **Commercial Scientific Software Company Copyleft** Provisions. ## MIT License with Additional Terms Copyright (c) 2025 Dystr Inc. and RunMat contributors Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: ### Attribution Requirement The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. Any distribution, fork, modification, or derivative work of this Software must maintain attribution to "RunMat by Dystr" in a prominent location visible to end users. This includes but is not limited to: 1. **Startup messages** or **about dialogs** displaying "RunMat by Dystr" 2. **Documentation** and **README files** crediting "RunMat by Dystr" 3. **Package names** or **project titles** indicating the RunMat origin 4. **Web interfaces** showing "Powered by RunMat by Dystr" ### Commercial Scientific Software Company Copyleft Any entity whose **primary business purpose** involves the development, licensing, or sale of scientific computing software, engineering simulation software, mathematical computing environments, or technical computing platforms (including but not limited to companies like MathWorks, Ansys, COMSOL Multiphysics, Dassault Systèmes, Autodesk, PTC, Siemens Digital Industries Software, Altair, and similar organizations) that creates a fork, derivative work, or modification of this Software **MUST** distribute their modified version under the same license terms as this license, making their modifications available as open source. This copyleft provision does **NOT** apply to: - Individual researchers, academic institutions, or educational organizations - Companies using RunMat as a dependency without modification - Companies whose primary business is not scientific/technical computing software - Internal modifications not distributed to third parties - Other open source projects and their maintainers ### Disclaimer THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

Need Legal Clarification?

Our legal team is happy to help clarify licensing questions or discuss commercial licensing options.

legal@dystr.com