Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Wed, 18 Apr 2001 02:32:52 -0500
From:      Mike Meyer <mwm@mired.org>
To:        Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org>
Cc:        Mike Meyer <mwm@mired.org>, Rahul Siddharthan <rsidd@physics.iisc.ernet.in>, James Howard <howardjp@well.com>, Joseph Mallett <jmallett@newgold.net>, chat@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: banner(6)
Message-ID:  <15069.17188.348607.736805@guru.mired.org>
In-Reply-To: <4.3.2.7.2.20010418005020.045fc930@localhost>
References:  <4.3.2.7.2.20010417124854.04560b30@localhost> <20010417095140.A74385@lpt.ens.fr> <Pine.GSO.4.21.0104161028290.23302-100000@well.com> <20010416191256.R27477@lpt.ens.fr> <20010416193151.U27477@lpt.ens.fr> <4.3.2.7.2.20010416211727.045766e0@localhost> <4.3.2.7.2.20010418005020.045fc930@localhost>

next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org> types:
> >That's pretty much just what I said. Fonts - whether programs or
> >actual bits of metal - have copyright protection. Typefaces - in the
> >form of what the fonts produce - do not.
> That's not correct. Fonts do not "produce" typefaces. They are
> renderings of typefaces.

That's wrong. What Adobe calls fonts are programs that you have to run
in order to see the typeface they encode. The graphic images that
result are clearly produced by those programs. I don't agree with you
that Adobe has chosen the wrong terminology, as their fonts have more
in common with non-software fonts than they do with typefaces. You can
continue to quibble about that if you wish, but I'm going to continue
using the terminology used by the rest of the world.

> >The end result is the same - someone does a bunch of creative work,
> >drawing designs for a typeface, then repeating the process at various
> >different point sizes so they all have the same color. Then anyone who
> >wants can sell - or give away - knockoffs capitalizing on their work
> >without compensating them in any way.
> It is possible to do a knockoff, and many people do. But what's being
> copied is the uncopyrightable design. If you copy the program that
> renders the typeface into a font, you've infringed a copyright. This 
> has been upheld in court. Adobe's "fonts" (which are really programs
> that render typefaces into fonts) are copyrightable.

Those people making - and using - knockoffs are using the work of the
designer without compensation. Yeah, it's legal. It's still about as
ethical as downloading an mp3 copy of a protected work from the net.


	<mike
--
Mike Meyer <mwm@mired.org>			http://www.mired.org/home/mwm/
Independent WWW/Perforce/FreeBSD/Unix consultant, email for more information.

To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org
with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message




Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?15069.17188.348607.736805>