Fonts, legal question
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- silver
I have just changed the spacing for punctation, comma, colon etc in GillSans with Fontographer. I also made the dot (alt-q on mac) slightly smaller.
Is this legal? What is allowed and not when it comes to changing the source of a font?
- 4cY0
depends on how you will use it....reselling the font with minor changes is illegal indeed.
I dunno about using it for a single project this way.....there must be some kind of info on this out there...
- silver0
in my case I will only use it for a magazine I am working on (not selling it).
this was my proplem:
http://www.newstoday.com/docs/fo…I have been frustrated about this for over a year now, trying different versions of Gill, posting threads, and finally made the step to try what I could do with fontographer, wich I have never used before. It actually took me like five minutes to figure it out, justify the font and make my life much easier. The spacing looks all right now.
- MikeyMoo0
It's only illegal if they catch you.
Maybe.I think Foundries would rather you didnt touch their produce but as long as you're not re-distributing them it should be okay.
Did anyone read about that recent court case involving the DVD Software. The result was pretty much - if you bought it its yours to do with as you wish.
- MikeyMoo0
.. I think.
- 4cY0
i do agree with you Silver...after looking at that sample. Spacing sux indeed. Just use it and keep your mouth shut...that should do!
Good luck.
;)
- MrDinky0
http://www.adobe.com/type/browse…
not real help but a start
- silver0
"You may convert and install the font software into another format for use in other environments"
still reading...
- silver0
"...you agree not to modify..."
- MrDinky0
isnt it not modfy for resale or claim property of that modified font?
- MrDinky0
ok more info on font from Adobe
- MikeyMoo0
Adobe are (I was going to say Nazis but thats not so good is it) ...um very strict about protecting their crappy ... er I mean quality fonts.
Legal note: The writer of this text bears no responcibity for the text previous stated in this ... er text.
- silver0
This can't be true: "Fonts are software, too. In fact, each font is a short software program". A software, I guess, would be executable. A font is doing nothing except being a description of some forms?
Sorry for my bad english. I am actually sleeping.
- MrDinky0
Adobe and others who publish software (MS, MM, etc) are very strict with their own right.
So do freefonts, read the readme files. i got called up on from a designer once for using his font in a commericial setting.. eventhough it was free, he said it was not for commerical use and he wanted royalty from it..
o well. i stopped using it..
cause of internet, our work gets view by many but also we cant get away with alot of different stuff...
- MrDinky0
its a grey line...
but anything that is used in your computer can be called software.. cause its not hardware.. :)
- silver0
ok, dink, I was thinking 'software' like in 'program'...
- silver0
I have just NOT changed the spacing for punctation, comma, colon etc in GillSans with Fontographer. I also DID NOT made the dot (alt-q on mac) slightly smaller.
this text? is now version 1.1
- MrDinky0
yeah program is a software..
but anything that supports the software is also a software..for example
non-executable plug in PS can be use only in conjunction with PS but not by it self. it does not contain executable property but it is a data that can be used. so its call software..
- MrDinky0
font is very hard legally challenge... unless you are in to typographical theories..
now question is, if you made a bitmap font that is same as one thats existing.. now with the constrants of 1 px point, how far can you make it different?
many designers, take a font and change it enough to make ti there own BUT they do not take the font and manipulate it.. they make from scratch..
be there done that VERY HARD..
what you can do is, just to legal, yuo can take it letter by letter and space them differently, and draw the dot as a layer... this makes it legal for you to use in my view .. but HEADACHE....
- MrDinky0
best person to talk about research for this material is VENA...
he seems to know alot of resource materials..
OR
if you happen to know a typographic professor, you can ask them.. or track one down..
- MikeyMoo0
Is this legality thing the reason why Macromedia havent updated Fontographer for soooo long. Are they hoping people will just stop using it?