How to protect intellectual property (IP) with an FMU exported from Simulink in R2020b?

There are two different kinds of functional mockup unit (FMU) which can be exported from Simulink:

1. Standalone FMU - For more details and to access its release-specific documentation, please run the following command in the command window of MATLAB R2020b:

   >> web(fullfile(docroot, 'slcompiler/ug/simulinkfmuexample.html'))

2. Tool-Coupling FMU - For more details and to access its release-specific documentation, please run the following command in the command window of MATLAB R2020b:

   >> web(fullfile(docroot, 'simulink/ug/export-model-as-tool-coupling-fmu.html'))

Which kind of FMU should I choose if my goal is IP protection?

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

The FMI standard does not specify anything related to IP protection; however, "Standalone" FMU exports provide some degree of IP protection.

Standalone FMU:

Since Simulink Compiler uses the Simulink Coder infrastructure, FMU Export obtains some level of IP protection:

• Compiled binaries: the original Simulink model/source code is compiled into binary form (the user cannot recover the original Simulink model)
• Obfuscated symbols: C function and global variable names are obfuscated after code generation (the user cannot recover meaningful source code function/symbol names)

What FMU export does not provide:

• Obfuscated constants (the user cannot recover meaningful string literals and numerical constants)
• Additional encryption of the dynamic library file (the user cannot recover the original memory layout)
• Password protection for the FMU zip package (the user cannot decrypt the FMU without a password)

Tool-Coupling FMU:

There is no level of IP protection.

Other approaches to protect the IP of your Simulink model that do not involve FMUs are mentioned in the following MATLAB Answers post:

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/414694-how-can-i-protect-the-intellectual-property-of-my-simulink-model

Please follow the below link to search for the required information regarding the current release:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/