kilos (1) - Abstract Fonts

1 posts

[img:cf368bd22a]http://www.dafont.org/smileys/bottomline.gif[/img:cf368bd22a] The issue is this. With a digitized typeface you cannot distribute a font only a typeface. For the simple reason that the whole subset is available in that typeface. Alex faces 3 situations. One with the typeface designers who hold the copyright on the actual design which they sell or license to others. For money or for free. Commercial typeface, shareware typeface or freeware. One with the companies that market a typeface and one with his partners in this forum. The last ones are typeface vendors. I assume they support these sort of forums to stop/limit the unlimited spreading of their sales items. So without any doubt Alex's contract with his sponsors has a clear clause about not making commercial typefaces available other than linking/directing to his sponsors. Fair enough. The secon ones are the type foundries, Linotype, Monotype, ITC, Bitstream to name a few. These parties do not legally hold the copyright on a typeface (That is with the designer), unless the designer actually sold the copyright. But they do hold the copyright ont the NAME of the typeface . So we face the odd situation that patent law seems to allow the originator of a typeface to protect the name he chooses to identify his work but he can't protect the actual design. Consequently, everyone is copying typefaces and re-issuing them with a different name. Without consequences if they also change the copyright lines and so in the metrics (This stems from the time of lead letter printing when purchasing font sets of a typeface actually meant buying many kilos of lead and the right to use that lead. (Or Linotype/Monotype matrixes). They will sue Alex when he makes their typefaces available for free on his site. And they will win. If Alex links to another site, the mere thought behind the hyperlink in the internet, they will sue him too. In that case they will not win. See Napster. But ... they will throw in corporate legal with such force that Alex will be bankrupt before the preliminary proceedings are half way. Which is the whole idea because it is their only possibility to stop the free distribution chain. Again see Napster. So, when Alex asks to NOT to (link[/u:cf368bd22a] to these typefaces please understand. End of college. Have fun and ... be nice to the cats