Averna Ballon Tip license type

[X___]

I am confused about the license type of the Balloon Tip addon from Averna.

The license text that shows up in VIPM does not mention any type, but somewhere says that:

"1.    GRANT OF LICENSE. Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, Averna grants Licensee a limited, personal, nonexclusive, nontransferable, non-assignable license to use the free Averna BALLOON Software (the “Software”) for your internal personal or business use (non-commercial) in accordance with the terms herein.

...

5.    RESTRICTIONS. You may not sub-license, assign, rent, lease, transfer or otherwise distribute the Software. You may not reverse engineer, port, decompile, translate, alter, modify, disassemble the Software or merge the Software into any other software or otherwise attempt to discover the source code. You may not use the Software on another hardware platform. Averna reserves the right to make changes to its products or services without notice or obligation to notify any person of such changes."

I was trying to find some wording to the effect that you can use the toolkit provided you include the license file, but the part I emphasized above seems to say you can use it for "internal" (to your business) use.

First, I don't quite see how even for an internal use you can use the software without "merging" it into your own (in the sense that the code will need to be integrated to the rest to be actually used).

And second, what is the purpose of a piece of code that you cannot share with others than those in your "business"?

I am suspecting that the license file has simply been badly written.

Any hint of what to do (save for avoiding the toolkit at all cost)?

[JKSH]

It feels strange to me too. As I understand it, the "no merge" clause makes libraries legally unusable by others.

A quick search reveals that the "no merge" clause is found in numerous different software licenses: https://www.google.com/search?q="merge+the+Software+into+any+other+software" My best guess is that the clause was originally written for standalone applications (meaning that you're meant to run the software as-is, without copying its source code into your own, or linking your own software to its binaries). However, somewhere along the way the clause got copied directly into a library license, without the involvement of a lawyer who understands software licensing.

Perhaps @mabe can clarify? He helped at: 

 

Edited 2 hours ago by JKSH