This *compilation* is (c) Copyright 1991,1992 Joseph (Yossi) Gil.
Permission is granted to use and redistribute the files comprising
this collection in any way (including conversion to another format),
provided that my name and addresses and this notice is preserved.
Simple (dare I say trivial?) bitmapped screen fonts such as the ones
included in this collection cannot be copyrighted. In general, one can
only copyright programs that generate fonts. This is why postscript
fonts are copyrightable. For more details refer to discussions various
"legal" newsgroups. In addition, I have included a relevant excerpt
from the FAQ of comp.fonts at the bottom of this document.
No one can claim any copyright on the fonts in this archive. They
have been collected from numerous sources. Legally speaking, you are
*free* to do with the individual fonts whatever you like. Individual
fonts are in the public domain. I do ask that you will kindly refrain
from causing confusion by distributing modified versions of the fonts
contained in this collection.
Please send any all your EGA/VGA text mode fonts contributions to me
rather than distributing a modified version of this collection. I
will add your fonts to the next edition of this collection and happily
acknowledge your help. Your cooperation will enable us all to benefit
from your contribution. See the file LOOKING4.TXT for more details.
I am trying to keep track of the origins of these fonts. See the file
FONTORIG.TXT. Unfortunately, I only started to record this information
on version 1.2. Records of origin of earlier fonts are missing.
If you know the origin of any of the fonts here, please drop me a note.
Staring on version 1.6 the collection also includes some of the
miscellaneous utilities which I use for preparing it. Among these
you will find programs for loading, viewing, trimming and otherwise
manipulating the fonts. These utilities are also distributed as a
separate archive called fntutlXX.ZIP where XX is the version number.
All the utilities require no shareware payment. Restrictions on
distribution and usage are only to the extent necessary to protect
the free distribution.
I see this is as my pleasant duty to pay tribute to the following
individuals who communicated and contributed to this archive:
Dov Grobgeld <
[email protected]>
Angelos Karageorgiou <
[email protected]>,<
[email protected]>
Alexandre (Alex) Khalil <
[email protected]>,<
[email protected]>
Patrick Arzul <
[email protected]>
Mike Threepoint <
[email protected]>
Glaude David [Glu] <
[email protected]>
Jean-Marc Lasgouttes <
[email protected]>
Itamar Even-Zohar <
[email protected]>
A.Weeks%
[email protected]
Miguel Farah.
This collection would not have been what it today is without their
help!
Author's Address
================
E-mail internet address:
[email protected]
Alternate E-mail addresses:
[email protected],
[email protected].
Permanent mailing address is:
Joseph Gil, P.O. Box 3148, Jerusalem, Israel.
Hebrew mailing address (you cannot read the following unless
your screen adapter can display Hebrew character):
Œ‰‚ ‰‘…‰
3148 .ƒ.š
‰Œ™…˜‰
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
From comp.fonts Sat Sep 5 11:12:35 1992
[email protected] (Norman Walsh)
Newsgroups: comp.fonts Subject: FAQ: Part-I: General Info Message-ID:
<
[email protected]> Date: 4 Sep 92 19:32:07 GMT
Reply-To:
[email protected] Organization: Dept of Comp and Info Sci,
Univ of Mass (Amherst)
FAQ for comp.fonts: Part I: General Info
Maintained by Norm Walsh <
[email protected]> and
Bharathi Jagadeesh <
[email protected]>
Version 0.0.3, Release 04SEP92
Welcome to the comp.fonts FAQ. This article, posted monthly, describes
many of the basic questions that seem to be repeated frequently on
comp.fonts. Your comments are both welcome and encouraged.
Standard disclaimers apply.
....
At one level, there are two major sorts of fonts: bitmapped and
outline (scalable). Bitmapped fonts are falling out of fashion
as various outline technologies grow in popularity and support.
Bitmapped fonts represent each character as a rectangular grid of
pixels. The bitmap for each character indicates precisely what
pixels should be on and off. Printing a bitmapped character is
simply a matter of blasting the right bits out to the printer.
There are a number of disadvantages to this approach. The bitmap
represents a particular instance of the character at a particular
size and resolution. It is very difficult to change the size,
shape, or resolution of a bitmapped character without significant
loss of quality in the image. On the other hand, it's easy to do
things like shading and filling with bitmapped characters.
.....
5. Are fonts copyrightable?
This topic is hotly debated at regular intervals on comp.fonts.
Terry Carroll <
[email protected]> provides the following
analysis of current [ed: as of 6/92] legislation and regulation
regarding fonts and copyrights. Members of the comp.fonts community
are encouraged to submit other materials that add clarity to the
issue.
*-
-----------------------------------------------------------*
First, the short answer: Typefaces are not copyrightable; bitmapped
fonts are not copyrightable, but scalable fonts are copyrightable.
Authorities for these conclusions follow.
Before we get started, let's get some terminology down:
A typeface is a set of letters, numbers, or other symbolic
characters, whose forms are related by repeating design elements
consistently applied in a notational system and are intended to be
embodied in articles whose intrinsic utilitarian function is for use
in composing text or other cognizable combinations of characters.
A font is the computer file or program that is used to represent
or create the typeface.
Now, on to the legal authorities:
Volume 37 of the Code of Federal Regulations specifies this about
the copyrightability of typefaces:
"The following are examples of works not subject to copyright and
applications for registration of such works cannot be entertained:
. . . typeface as typeface" 37 CFR 202.1(e).
By the way, you won't find that in the most recent (7/1/91) edition
of the CFR; the addition was enacted 2/21/92. It'll be in the
next edition, though. It's described in the 2/21/92 edition of
the Federal Register, page 6201 (57 FR 6201). The change didn't
actually change the law, it just clarified it, and codified existing
Copyright Office policy.
The regulation is in accordance with the House of Representatives
report that accompanied the new copyright law, when it was passed
in 1976:
"The Committee has considered, but chosen to defer, the possibility
of protecting the design of typefaces. A 'typeface' can be defined
as a set of letters, numbers, or other symbolic characters, whose
forms are related by repeating design elements consistently applied
in a notational system and are intended to be embodied in articles
whose intrinsic utilitarian function is for use in composing text
or other cognizable combinations of characters. The Committee
does not regard the design of typeface, as thus defined, to be a
copyrightable 'pictoral, graphic, or sculptural work' within the
meaning of this bill and the application of the dividing line in
section 101." H. R. Rep. No. 94-1476, 94th Congress, 2d Session
at 55 (1976), reprinted in 1978 U.S. Cong. and Admin. News 5659,
5668.
It's also in accordance with the one court case I know of that
has considered the matter: Eltra Corp. V. Ringer, 579 F.2d 294,
208 USPQ 1 (1978, C.A. 4, Va.).
The Copyright Office holds that a bitmapped font is nothing more
than a computerized representation of a typeface, and as such is
not copyrightable:
"The [September 29, 1988] Policy Decision [published at 53 FR 38110]
based on the [October 10,] 1986 Notice of Inquiry [published at 51
FR 36410] reiterated a number of previous registration decisions
made by the [Copyright] Office. First, under existing law, typeface
as such is not registerable. The Policy Decision then went on
to state the Office's position that 'data that merely represents
an electronic depiction of a particular typeface or individual
letterform' [that is, a bitmapped font] is also not registerable."
57 FR 6201.
However, scalable fonts are, in the opinion of the Copyright
Office, computer programs, and as such are copyrightable:
"... the Copyright Office is persuaded that creating scalable
typefonts using already-digitized typeface represents a
significant change in the industry since our previous [September
29, 1988] Policy Decision. We are also persuaded that computer
programs designed for generating typeface in conjunction with low
resolution and other printing devices may involve original computer
instructions entitled protection under the Copyright Act. For
example, the creation of scalable font output programs to produce
harmonious fonts consisting of hundreds of characters typically
involves many decisions in drafting the instructions that drive the
printer. The expression of these decisions is neither limited by
the unprotectable shape of the letters nor functionally mandated.
This expression, assuming it meets the usual standard of authorship,
is thus registerable as a computer program." 57 FR 6202.
*-[Unquote]---------------------------------------------------------*
.