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From: ath@luna.prosys.se (Anders Thulin)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript
Subject: Re: Font protection
Message-ID: <472@luna.prosys.se>
Date: 15 Sep 89 05:49:01 GMT
References: <119@ark1.nswc.navy.mil> <1449@intercon.com> <124647@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> <1192@adobe.UUCP>
Organization: Programsystem AB, Linkoping, SWEDEN
Lines: 28

In article <1192@adobe.UUCP> greid@adobe.COM (Glenn Reid) writes:
>In article <124647@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> lemay@sun.UUCP (Laura Lemay) writes:
>>Due to a glitch in copywright laws, and the fact that most existing type-
>>faces have been around for hundreds of years, typefaces cannot be copywrighted.
>>Only the names can.
>
>That is true, unfortunately for us all.
>

I am not certain if the statement refers to protection in general or
to copyrighting in particular.  It may be that typefaces cannot be
copyrighted, but I believe they can be protected.

Some years ago a 'font vendor' in Germany did almost exactly what was
suggested in an earlier note: printed large-scale letters, used them
as originals for digitizing, and then marketed the 'new' typefaces
under his own name. He ended up in court for infringement of
whatever-right.

Warning: I saw as a short notice in a Seybold report, so there are
probably legal niceties that are missing. Still, Germany seems to be a
country in which typefaces are protected.

Does anyone know if there are other enlightened countries in the world?

-- 
Anders Thulin, Programsystem AB, Teknikringen 2A, S-583 30 Linkoping, Sweden
ath@prosys.se   {uunet,mcvax}!sunic!prosys!ath