www/licenses license-list.html

[Karl Berry]

CVSROOT:        /web/www
Module name:    www
Changes by:     Karl Berry <karl>       06/11/07 23:40:20

Modified files:
        licenses       : license-list.html 

Log message:
        intro blurb about fonts, link to Novalis' blog entry.

CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/licenses/license-list.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.166&r2=1.167

Patches:
Index: license-list.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /web/www/www/licenses/license-list.html,v
retrieving revision 1.166
retrieving revision 1.167
diff -u -b -r1.166 -r1.167
--- license-list.html   28 Oct 2006 13:45:37 -0000      1.166
+++ license-list.html   7 Nov 2006 23:40:13 -0000       1.167
@@ -1524,18 +1524,16 @@
 
 </dl>
 
-<h3><a id="Fonts" href="#TOCFonts">Licenses For Fonts</a></h3>
+<h3><a name="Fonts">Licenses For Fonts</a></h3>
 
-<dl>
+<p>Font designs as such are not copyrightable in the United States and
+other countries, although (we are told) they are copyrightable in
+Germany and the United Kingdom, and perhaps elsewhere.  In any case, the
+licenses below apply to an instantation of a design in a computer file,
+not the artistic design.  As far as we know, an implementation of a
+design is always copyrightable.</p>
 
-<dt><a href="http://scripts.sil.org/OFL";>SIL Open Font License 1.0</a></dt>
-<dd>
-<p>The Open Font License is a Free copyleft license for fonts.  Its only
-unusual requirement is that fonts be distributed with some computer
-program, rather than alone.  Since a simple Hello World program will
-satisfy the requirement, it is harmless.  Neither we nor SIL recommend
-the use of this license for anything other than fonts.
-</p></dd>
+<dl>
 
 <dt><a href="http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/non-gnu/chinese-fonts-truetype/LICENSE";>
 Arphic Public License</a></dt>
@@ -1547,12 +1545,23 @@
 
 <dt><a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html";>GNU General Public 
License</a></dt>
 <dd>
-<p>The GNU GPL <strong>can</strong> be used for fonts.  However, note
-that it does not permit embedding the font in a document unless that
-document is also licensed under the GPL.  If you want to allow this,
-use the <a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#FontException";>font 
exception</a>.
-</p></dd>
+<p>The GNU GPL <strong>can</strong> be used for fonts.  However,
+note that it does not permit embedding the font in a document unless
+that document is also licensed under the GPL.  If you want to allow
+this, use the <a
+href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#FontException";>font
+exception</a>.  See also this <a
+href="http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/20050425novalis";>explanatory
+essay about the GPL Font Exception</a>.</p></dd>
 
+<dt><a href="http://scripts.sil.org/OFL";>SIL Open Font License 1.0</a></dt>
+<dd>
+<p>The Open Font License is a Free copyleft license for fonts.  Its only
+unusual requirement is that fonts be distributed with some computer
+program, rather than alone.  Since a simple Hello World program will
+satisfy the requirement, it is harmless.  Neither we nor SIL recommend
+the use of this license for anything other than fonts.
+</p></dd>
 
 </dl>
 
@@ -1636,7 +1645,7 @@
 <p>
 Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2006/10/28 13:45:37 $ $Author: karl $
+$Date: 2006/11/07 23:40:13 $ $Author: karl $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>