[OpenFontLibrary] Public Domain Fonts due to lack of copyright notice

[Christopher Fynn]

Rob Myers <rob at robmyers.org> wrote:

> Christopher Fynn wrote:
> 
> > Even if it were legally permissible in the US to distribute pre-1989
> > fonts  without a copyright notice or registered copyright - do you
> > believe it would be ethical do this without the designer / font creators
> > agreement? 

> Yes, because this is how copyright works.

Yes well slavery and wife beating were also once OK under US law - Personally I don't think that ever made these things morally or ethically OK.  But maybe you think they were OK at the time because that's how things worked.
  
> > Because something may be allowed under the law of a
> > particular jurisdiction that does not make it morally and ethically OK.
 
> Such as restricting people through use of copyright, for example.

While I'm all for creators of fonts  being encouraged to make them freely available - I don't think anyone should be required to do this, even through lack of adequate legal protection.  In fact I do not feel it morally or ethically right for anyone's original creation to be freely used ~ at least during their lifetime ~ unless that is the intention or wish of the creator. 
  
> > People who are most vocal about being able to distribute fonts freely
> > most always seem to be talking about the work of others. 
> 
> There are fewer font designers than font users, so this is hardly
> surprising.

Yes but IMO it should be up to the font creators - not anyone else- to decide how to make their work available.

There are fewer farmers and restraunters than there are consumers of food - but it is not up to those who eat but do not produce food to decide that it should be given away free.  If I produce food and decide to give it away free OK 
 
> > Why is it I  don't hear this sort of suggestion from people who have designed serious
> > original fonts on their own from scratch?
> 
> Would you agree that it is a good idea if they did?

Yes - and I myself  have developed a freely available font that took over one year of full time work to develop,  entirely at my own expense. This font is for Tibetan script and it is very widely used by Tibetan and Dzongkha speakers. 
 
- Chris
> - Rob.
> 

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