[OpenFontLibrary] OFL-FAQ version 1.1-update4

[Victor Gaultney]

To the OFL community -

On Wednesday we released an update to the OFL-FAQ:

http://scripts.sil.org/ofl-faq_web

This 'update4' adds further clarification to sections 8.2 and 8.3 and adds a new 8.6 to address issues of term length - an important issue in Polish law. These sections are copied below. These changes are purely clarifications and are not intended to indicate changes in how the OFL is to be interpreted or applied.

We did consider whether there should be a change in the OFL itself (creating a version 1.2) to clarify that the OFL permissions are perpetual and irrevocable - aspects that were always implied but not explicitly stated. However the process of revising the license itself would have required lengthy community and legal review. It would have also resulted in considerable work for the OFL community and added confusion for designers and users. After some consultation we came to the conclusion that while an additional OFL-FAQ section was not an ideal solution it would add explicit clarification of intent.

If at some point in the future a new version of the OFL is created then it might be useful to add 'perpetual and irrevocable' for the sake of clarity, however this is not enough of a change to warrant a new version on its own. BTW - while some FOSS licenses do include this phrase, many significant ones do not explicitly address it, and there remains disagreement regarding its necessity in international contexts.

Note that in jurisdictions where an explicit term length is required the copyright holder is very welcome to release their work under a different license, while still making the same work available under the OFL for an international audience.

Victor Gaultney & Nicolas Spalinger
Maintainers of the SIL Open Font License

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8.2  Does this license restrict the rights of the Copyright Holder(s)?
No. The Copyright Holder(s) still retain(s) all the rights to their creation; they are only releasing a portion of it for use in a specific way. For example, the Copyright Holder(s) may choose to release a 'basic' version of their font under the OFL, but sell a restricted 'enhanced' version under a different license. They may also choose to release the same font under both the OFL and some other license. Only the Copyright Holder(s) can do this, and doing so does not change the terms of the OFL as it applies to that font.

8.3  Is the OFL a contract or a license?
The OFL is a worldwide license based on international copyright agreements and conventions. It is not a contract and so does not require you to sign it to have legal validity. By using, modifying and redistributing components under the OFL you indicate that you accept the license.

8.6 Does the OFL have an explicit expiration term?
No, the implicit intent of the OFL is that the permissions granted are perpetual and irrevocable.