copyright united-kingdom
Am I allowed to reverse engineer/decompile a computer program?
<p>I would like to gather information about how something works from a computer program and use it in my own. However, there is a software licence that forbids it.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Except as and only to the extent expressly permitted in this License or by applicable law, you may not copy, decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble, modify, or create derivative works of the [blanked out] or any part thereof.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>According to Section 50B of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (<a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/48/section/50B" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/48/section/50B</a>)</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Decompilation.</p>
  
  <p>(1)It is not an infringement of copyright for a lawful user of a copy of a computer program expressed in a low level language—</p>
  
  <p>(a)to convert it into a version expressed in a higher level language, or</p>
  
  <p>(b)incidentally in the course of so converting the program, to copy it,</p>
  
  <p>(that is, to “decompile” it), provided that the conditions in subsection (2) are met.</p>
  
  <p>(2)The conditions are that—</p>
  
  <p>(a)it is necessary to decompile the program to obtain the information necessary to create an independent program which can be operated with the program decompiled or with another program (“the permitted objective”); and</p>
  
  <p>(b)the information so obtained is not used for any purpose other than the permitted objective.</p>
  
  <p>(3)In particular, the conditions in subsection (2) are not met if the lawful user—</p>
  
  <p>(a)has readily available to him the information necessary to achieve the permitted objective;</p>
  
  <p>(b)does not confine the decompiling to such acts as are necessary to achieve the permitted objective;</p>
  
  <p>(c)supplies the information obtained by the decompiling to any person to whom it is not necessary to supply it in order to achieve the permitted objective; or</p>
  
  <p>(d)uses the information to create a program which is substantially similar in its expression to the program decompiled or to do any act restricted by copyright.</p>
  
  <p>(4)Where an act is permitted under this section, it is irrelevant whether or not there exists any term or condition in an agreement which purports to prohibit or restrict the act (such terms being, by virtue of section 296A, void).]</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Am I allowed to reverse engineer/decompile a computer program, even if a licence forbids me not to? Does it only matter what the laws say in the United Kingdom or do I have to obey the part of the licence?</p>

<p>Why do you think the licence forbids this? It explicitly starts with "Except as and only to the extent expressly permitted ... by applicable law ...".</p>

<p>You have quoted the "applicable law". If you stay within the boundaries of the law the licence allows it.</p>
