Re: [pygame] 1.7 releases?

[Jasper <jasper@xxxxxxxx>]

Magnus Lie Hetland wrote:

> Jasper <jasper@xxxxxxxx>:
>  
>
> > Joe Wreschnig wrote
> >
> >    
> >
> > > 2) The Bitstream font license is questionable; it certainly doesn't fit
> > > with the rest of the Pygame license (LGPL) very well.
> > >
> > >
> > >      
> > Font license?  Aren't fonts exempt from US copyright, regardless of font 
> > writers' claims to the contrary?
> >
> > e.g. http://www.boingboing.net/2004/12/26/can_you_copyright_a_.html
> >    
>
> Well, doesn't that just cover the font/typeface itself (i.e., if I
> draw something that looke exactly like it, it's not a breach of
> copyright) -- not its actual implementation (also, confusingly, often
> called a font/typeface)? The implementation is software/data, which
> *is* subject to copyright...
>  
Actually, after some more research (of the Southern Software vs. 
Adobe/Emigre outcome) I would hazard fonts are effectively 
copyrightable.  Physical typeface is not copywriteable, for a variety of 
sound reasons, but make it a series of 1's and 0's and presto -- it is 
suddenly new art and coprwritable!  To me the result seems like a clear 
subversion of US typeface law, and it looks like Adobe won primarily due 
to hiring more expensive lawyers. Still, I'm not exactly keen to try it 
out in court. ;-)

Anyway,  copyright law outside the US seems to cover fonts, so the point 
is moot as pygame shouldn't be restricted to only those in the US.

-Jasper