nf@ccicpg.UUCP (Ned Foboe) (07/06/90)
Whats legal and whats not seems to be pretty well established. I have some gray areas for y'all. I have a PS printer. I also own a set of Compugraphic outline fonts, plus a tool to convert them to type 1 PS fonts, or Amiga (screen) bitmap fonts. Is it legal for me to distribute the bitmaps that I generate? What about the PS fonts that _I generate_ from the CG outlines? I understand that a copyright is held by CG for their outlines, but is the resulting PS program still covered by their copyright ? Yes ? No ? Gray area ? I don't have any plans to do these, I'm just curious. -- Ned. No, really.
dhosek@sif.claremont.edu (Hosek, Donald A.) (07/09/90)
In article <79250@ccicpg.UUCP>, nf@ccicpg.UUCP (Ned Foboe) writes... >Whats legal and whats not seems to be pretty well established. I have >some gray areas for y'all. >I have a PS printer. I also own a set of Compugraphic outline fonts, >plus a tool to convert them to type 1 PS fonts, or Amiga (screen) bitmap >fonts. >Is it legal for me to distribute the bitmaps that I generate? This is a gray area; a bitmap can be copyrighted as computer data, and the program that generates a bitmap can be copyrighted as a computer program, but the output from that program... under current law, it would be difficult for somebody to prosecute you for doing this (and in fact some vendors actually do this sort of thing), but ATypI, the international association of typographers does not look kindly on such things and I suspect that if the Compugraphic outline fonts are copyrighted in Germany, France or the UK, your bitmaps could not be legally brought into those countries. >What about the PS fonts that _I generate_ from the CG outlines? I >understand that a copyright is held by CG for their outlines, but >is the resulting PS program still covered by their copyright ? Yes ? >No ? Gray area ? In this case, there is NO gray area. The resulting PS program is still covered by their copyright. The translation here does not produce the program's output, but rather creates a derivative work which is covered under international copyright law (an appropriate analogy is to consider a translation of a novel; the translation is still subject to the copyright on the original work). -dh --- Don Hosek TeX, LaTeX, and Metafont Consulting and dhosek@ymir.claremont.edu production work. Free Estimates. dhosek@ymir.bitnet uunet!jarthur!ymir Phone: 714-625-0147
tp@mccall.com (07/09/90)
In article <79250@ccicpg.UUCP>, nf@ccicpg.UUCP (Ned Foboe) writes: > Whats legal and whats not seems to be pretty well established. I have > some gray areas for y'all. > > I have a PS printer. I also own a set of Compugraphic outline fonts, > plus a tool to convert them to type 1 PS fonts, or Amiga (screen) bitmap > fonts. > > Is it legal for me to distribute the bitmaps that I generate? I haven't signed any agreements with Compugrahic, so I don't know what their contracts look like. Several other firms, with which I have non-disclosure agreements as a result of an (unsuccessful) vendor search, have clauses in their contract that specifically cover this. I suspect you signed a contract with CG to get what you have. I suggest you look very carefully at the fine print. I think you will find that you have signed away your right to do this, whether it would have been legal or not. It doesn't matter what copyright law says if you signed a contract. -- Terry Poot <tp@mccall.com> The McCall Pattern Company (uucp: ...!rutgers!ksuvax1!mccall!tp) 615 McCall Road (800)255-2762, in KS (913)776-4041 Manhattan, KS 66502, USA
nf@ccicpg.UUCP (Ned Foboe) (07/11/90)
In article <3076.2698446f@mccall.com> tp@mccall.com writes: >> >> I have a PS printer. I also own a set of Compugraphic outline fonts, >> plus a tool to convert them to type 1 PS fonts, or Amiga (screen) bitmap >> fonts. >> >> Is it legal for me to distribute the bitmaps that I generate? > >I haven't signed any agreements with Compugrahic, so I don't know what >their contracts look like. Several other firms, with which I have >non-disclosure agreements as a result of an (unsuccessful) vendor search, >have clauses in their contract that specifically cover this. I suspect you >signed a contract with CG to get what you have. Nope. I bought the things, and there was a little sticker that you are suposed to read before you open the envelope, but I just ripped it off and threw it away. If people want me to read things they're gonna have to use something other than 1.5 point Bocklin. >I suggest you look very >carefully at the fine print. I think you will find that you have signed >away your right to do this, whether it would have been legal or not. It >doesn't matter what copyright law says if you signed a contract. Within reason. Their contract (implied or not) does not superscede your rights. Thanks for your opinion though. Thats what I love about the net - you ask: ``Is it legal to do this?'' and you get: ``Yes'', ``No'' and ``Maybe'' :-) -- Ned. Artiste.
briand@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM (Brian D Diehm) (07/12/90)
>Thanks for your opinion though. Thats what I love about the net - you >ask: ``Is it legal to do this?'' and you get: ``Yes'', ``No'' and >``Maybe'' :-) Funny. The net isn't the only place where this happens. How about the courts? "Well. And just how much justice can you AFFORD?" >Ned. Artiste. With the label artist, not only are you proof against legal systems, you can be supported by the Federal government. Amazing. -Brian Diehm Tektronix, Inc. (503) 627-3437 briand@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM P.O. Box 500, M/S 47-780 Beaverton, OR 97077 (SDA - Standard Disclaimers Apply) -- -Brian Diehm Tektronix, Inc. (503) 627-3437 briand@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM P.O. Box 500, M/S 47-780 Beaverton, OR 97077 (SDA - Standard Disclaimers Apply)