rico@oscvax.UUCP (Rico Mariani) (12/10/87)
I've recently converted a whole bunch of Macintosh fonts to the Amiga
format and I'd like to put them on a public domain font disk. However,
I can see where there might be a few legal problems with doing this...
So my question is this, which Mac fonts (if any) could I release without
being sued to bits?
-Rico
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[Cat food: Nine Lives, Cat Chow, Meow Mix, Crave]cm450s02@uhccux.UUCP (Jeff T. Segawa) (12/15/87)
In article <546@oscvax.UUCP> rico@oscvax.UUCP (Rico Mariani) writes: >I've recently converted a whole bunch of Macintosh fonts to the Amiga >format and I'd like to put them on a public domain font disk. However, >I can see where there might be a few legal problems with doing this... >So my question is this, which Mac fonts (if any) could I release without >being sued to bits? > I think most of the fonts released by Apple are either copyrighted by Apple itself, or licensed to them by ITC, Adobe or others. This is especially true of some laser fonts, like ITC Garamond and Zapf. I'm no attorney, but I suspect that releasing those into the public domain could get you into trouble. There are also some really nice Shareware fonts, like Beverly Hills and Palencia (my favorite) out there. Perhaps the authors would be willing to strike some sort of deal with you. If, on the other hand, the fonts were originally released as true public domain stuff (no copyrights, etc) I don't see any problem. Good luck.
kim@amdahl.amdahl.com (Kim DeVaughn) (12/16/87)
In article <1308@uhccux.UUCP>, cm450s02@uhccux.UUCP (Jeff T. Segawa) writes: > In article <546@oscvax.UUCP> rico@oscvax.UUCP (Rico Mariani) writes: > >I've recently converted a whole bunch of Macintosh fonts to the Amiga > >format and I'd like to put them on a public domain font disk. > > I think most of the fonts released by Apple are either copyrighted by > Apple itself, or licensed to them by ITC, Adobe or others. This is > especially true of some laser fonts, like ITC Garamond and Zapf. There has been several lengthy discussions of the copyrightability of fonts here on the net over the past couple of years. I have some of the old (and somewhat authoritative) information tucked away somewhere on a tape, and if there is sufficient interest, can dig it out and post or email it to interested people (if you send me a path to you relative to a backbone site). ARPA, BITNET, etc. paths are not likely to be successful, in my experience. Anyway, to summarize, it is my understanding that fonts themselves are NOT copyrightable. At least not in the US, and probably not in Canada. The *names* of fonts, however, may be Trademarked and/or Copyrighted. So, if that understanding is correct, all one has to do is give a given font a new name, and everything is legal. I will not discuss whether to do so is *moral* or not ... one must let their conscience be their guide (or their lawyer's :-) ). Elsewhere in the world, fonts may indeed be copyrighted, and I'm not at all sure how that affects things. I know this sounds weird, especially in North America where everyone is so lawsuit conscious, but I believe it really is that way. On the other hand, I am not a lawyer, so it would probably be best to check with one first (I suppose they *do* actually serve a useful purpose once in awhile). /kim [ Any thoughts or opinions which may or may not have been expressed ] [ herein are my own. They are not necessarily those of my employer. ] -- UUCP: kim@amdahl.amdahl.com or: {sun,decwrl,hplabs,pyramid,ihnp4,uunet,oliveb,cbosgd,ames}!amdahl!kim DDD: 408-746-8462 USPS: Amdahl Corp. M/S 249, 1250 E. Arques Av, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 CIS: 76535,25
richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) (12/16/87)
In article <1308@uhccux.UUCP> cm450s02@uhccux.UUCP (Jeff T. Segawa) writes: >In article <546@oscvax.UUCP> rico@oscvax.UUCP (Rico Mariani) writes: >>I've recently converted a whole bunch of Macintosh fonts to the Amiga >>format and I'd like to put them on a public domain font disk. However, >>I can see where there might be a few legal problems with doing this... >>So my question is this, which Mac fonts (if any) could I release without >>being sued to bits? >> >I think most of the fonts released by Apple are either copyrighted by >Apple itself, or licensed to them by ITC, Adobe or others. This is >especially true of some laser fonts, like ITC Garamond and Zapf. >I'm no attorney, but I suspect that releasing those into the public >domain could get you into trouble. I believe Apple licensed them, but in itself doesn't own any font copyrights. Doesn't make much difference, because... (are you sitting down) ... you cannot copyright a font design in the U.S. (not sure about Canada) You can trademark a name (like Helvetica (tm)), and you can copyright the binary that is the font, but the design itself cannot be copyrighted. Sooo, you can scale up a font you like, blatently copy it, and do with it as you please. Sell it, etc. No shit. Now, how does one prove that a software publisher *converted* a font, or copied the design ? Clear as mud, eh, hoser ? (Ref. Chuck Bigelow's article on Font Copyrights published recently in comp.lang.postscript) -- "Well they say, that Santa Fe, is more, than 90 miles away" {ihnp4!crash, hplabs!hp-sdd!crash}!gryphon!richard || richard@gryphon.CTS.COM
akk2@ur-tut.UUCP (Atul Kacker) (12/16/87)
In article <1308@uhccux.UUCP> cm450s02@uhccux.UUCP (Jeff T. Segawa) writes: >In article <546@oscvax.UUCP> rico@oscvax.UUCP (Rico Mariani) writes: >>I've recently converted a whole bunch of Macintosh fonts to the Amiga >>format and I'd like to put them on a public domain font disk. However, >>I can see where there might be a few legal problems with doing this... >>So my question is this, which Mac fonts (if any) could I release without >>being sued to bits? >> >I think most of the fonts released by Apple are either copyrighted by >Apple itself, or licensed to them by ITC, Adobe or others. This is >especially true of some laser fonts, like ITC Garamond and Zapf. If I understand it correctly, the copyright on fonts does not cover the font itself. It's the name that is copyrighted. If I take a printed copy of any of Adobe's fonts and create a machine readable version and then call it MyFont, there is nothing Adobe can do about it legally. The first issue of the Postscript Journal, I believe deals with this in greater detail. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Atul Kacker | Internet: akk2@tut.cc.rochester.edu | UUCP: {ames,cmcl2,decvax,rutgers}!rochester!ur-tut!akk2 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
olson@endor.harvard.edu (Eric K. Olson) (12/16/87)
In a recent article peoples writes: >In article <1308@uhccux.UUCP> cm450s02@uhccux.UUCP (Jeff T. Segawa) writes: >>In article <546@oscvax.UUCP> rico@oscvax.UUCP (Rico Mariani) writes: >>>I've recently converted a whole bunch of Macintosh fonts to the Amiga >>>format and I'd like to put them on a public domain font disk. However, >>>I can see where there might be a few legal problems with doing this... >>>So my question is this, which Mac fonts (if any) could I release without >>>being sued to bits? >>> >>I think most of the fonts released by Apple are either copyrighted by >>Apple itself, or licensed to them by ITC, Adobe or others. [Much deleted] Just to make matters more confusing, I have heard from more than one source that the Screen Fonts (the bitmaps used on the Mac screen) for the fonts in the Laserwriter (i.e., Courier, Times, Helvetica, Zapf Dingbats, but NOT New York, Cairo, Monaco, etc.) are placed in the Public Domain by Adobe. Note that this does not mean that the Laserwriter Postscript Spline Fonts are PD, just the screen representations. This would mean that you can copy those bitmap fonts to your hearts content, just stay away from Apple's own fonts. -Eric I am not affiliated. Eric K. Olson olson@endor.harvard.edu harvard!endor!olson D0760 (Name) (ArpaNet) (UseNet) (AppleLink)
lee@uhccux.UUCP (Greg Lee) (12/17/87)
How about posting routines/procedures for converting the Macintosh fonts for the Amiga? Then everyone with access to a Mac could post a few converted fonts. Spread the risk -- if there is any.
keithd@cadovax.UUCP (Keith Doyle) (12/19/87)
In article <1333@uhccux.UUCP> lee@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu (Greg Lee) writes: > >How about posting routines/procedures for converting the Macintosh >fonts for the Amiga? Then everyone with access to a Mac could >post a few converted fonts. Spread the risk -- if there is any. I would think that MAC fonts downloaded from Compu$erve or other bbs's would not be copyrighted by Apple. Whether or not Compu$erve claims ownership of them may be a different matter.... Keith Doyle # {ucbvax,decvax}!trwrb!cadovax!keithd Contel Business Systems 213-323-8170