Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!lll-winken!uunet!pdn!boake2!jc3b21!jra
From: jra@jc3b21.UUCP (Jay R. Ashworth)
Newsgroups: comp.fonts
Subject: Re: HP LaserJet Downloadable Fonts
Summary: Sorry, wrong answer
Message-ID: <609@jc3b21.UUCP>
Date: 24 Mar 89 23:50:21 GMT
References: <1736@trantor.harris-atd.com> <229800002@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu>
Organization: The Great Ashworth & Petrillo Production Co.
Lines: 26

In article <229800002@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu>, mcdonald@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu writes:
> 
> Another possibility would be to find someone who has a set of downloadable
> fonts, either from HP, from Bitstream (e.g. the ones I got free with
> WordPerfect) or from a cloner. Make a copy of them on floppies.
> Use debug to edit out the copyright, and change the name of the font
> to something else. Then take them home and use them. Give them to your
> friends. The BIT PATTERNS of the fonts cannot be copyrighted
> or patented or protected in any other way (unless of course you
> buy them after signing some sort of paper saying you agree to give
> away your rights!). The names can be and are protected.
> 
> And, most important, call you congressman to make sure it stays 
> this way!

Uh, not exactly...  The shapes of the individual glyphs (neat word,
huh?) in a typeface can not be legally protected, but PostScript
__Programs__ to draw those characters very _definitely_ can--those who
think otherwise might hear from Adobe's legal dept...

As for bit map font files, well, INAL, but I think that those are very
probably covered by copyright, too.  I certainly wouldn't want to find
out the hard way...

Cheers,
-- jra