This *compilation* is (c) Copyright 1991,1992 Joseph (Yossi) Gil. Permission is granted to use and redistribute the files comprising this collection in any way (including conversion to another format), provided that my name and addresses and this notice is preserved. Simple (dare I say trivial?) bitmapped screen fonts such as the ones included in this collection cannot be copyrighted. In general, one can only copyright programs that generate fonts. This is why postscript fonts are copyrightable. For more details refer to discussions various "legal" newsgroups. In addition, I have included a relevant excerpt from the FAQ of comp.fonts at the bottom of this document. No one can claim any copyright on the fonts in this archive. They have been collected from numerous sources. Legally speaking, you are *free* to do with the individual fonts whatever you like. Individual fonts are in the public domain. I do ask that you will kindly refrain from causing confusion by distributing modified versions of the fonts contained in this collection. Please send any all your EGA/VGA text mode fonts contributions to me rather than distributing a modified version of this collection. I will add your fonts to the next edition of this collection and happily acknowledge your help. Your cooperation will enable us all to benefit from your contribution. See the file LOOKING4.TXT for more details. I am trying to keep track of the origins of these fonts. See the file FONTORIG.TXT. Unfortunately, I only started to record this information on version 1.2. Records of origin of earlier fonts are missing. If you know the origin of any of the fonts here, please drop me a note. In addition to this collection, I distribute a set of utilities for loading, viewing and otherwise manipulating the fonts. These utilities are always in an archive fntutlXX.ZIP where XX is the version number. All the utilities require no shareware payment. Restrictions on distribution and usage are only to the extent necessary to protect the free distribution. I see this is as my pleasant duty to pay tribute to the following individuals who communicated and contributed to this archive: Dov Grobgeld Angelos Karageorgiou , Alexandre (Alex) Khalil <9999SC01@DT3.DT.UH.EDU>, This collection would not have been what it today is without their help! Author's Address ================ E-mail internet address: yogi@cs.technion.ac.il Alternate E-mail addresses: yogi@cs.ubc.ca, yogi@umiacs.umd.edu. Permanent mailing address is: Joseph Gil, P.O. Box 3148, Jerusalem, Israel. Hebrew mailing address (you cannot read the following unless your screen adapter can display Hebrew character): 3148 .. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From comp.fonts Sat Sep 5 11:12:35 1992 walsh@cs.umass.edu (Norman Walsh) Newsgroups: comp.fonts Subject: FAQ: Part-I: General Info Message-ID: Date: 4 Sep 92 19:32:07 GMT Reply-To: walsh@cs.umass.edu Organization: Dept of Comp and Info Sci, Univ of Mass (Amherst) FAQ for comp.fonts: Part I: General Info Maintained by Norm Walsh and Bharathi Jagadeesh Version 0.0.3, Release 04SEP92 Welcome to the comp.fonts FAQ. This article, posted monthly, describes many of the basic questions that seem to be repeated frequently on comp.fonts. Your comments are both welcome and encouraged. Standard disclaimers apply. .... At one level, there are two major sorts of fonts: bitmapped and outline (scalable). Bitmapped fonts are falling out of fashion as various outline technologies grow in popularity and support. Bitmapped fonts represent each character as a rectangular grid of pixels. The bitmap for each character indicates precisely what pixels should be on and off. Printing a bitmapped character is simply a matter of blasting the right bits out to the printer. There are a number of disadvantages to this approach. The bitmap represents a particular instance of the character at a particular size and resolution. It is very difficult to change the size, shape, or resolution of a bitmapped character without significant loss of quality in the image. On the other hand, it's easy to do things like shading and filling with bitmapped characters. ..... 5. Are fonts copyrightable? This topic is hotly debated at regular intervals on comp.fonts. Terry Carroll provides the following analysis of current [ed: as of 6/92] legislation and regulation regarding fonts and copyrights. Members of the comp.fonts community are encouraged to submit other materials that add clarity to the issue. *-[Quote]-----------------------------------------------------------* First, the short answer: Typefaces are not copyrightable; bitmapped fonts are not copyrightable, but scalable fonts are copyrightable. Authorities for these conclusions follow. Before we get started, let's get some terminology down: A typeface is a set of letters, numbers, or other symbolic characters, whose forms are related by repeating design elements consistently applied in a notational system and are intended to be embodied in articles whose intrinsic utilitarian function is for use in composing text or other cognizable combinations of characters. A font is the computer file or program that is used to represent or create the typeface. Now, on to the legal authorities: Volume 37 of the Code of Federal Regulations specifies this about the copyrightability of typefaces: "The following are examples of works not subject to copyright and applications for registration of such works cannot be entertained: . . . typeface as typeface" 37 CFR 202.1(e). By the way, you won't find that in the most recent (7/1/91) edition of the CFR; the addition was enacted 2/21/92. It'll be in the next edition, though. It's described in the 2/21/92 edition of the Federal Register, page 6201 (57 FR 6201). The change didn't actually change the law, it just clarified it, and codified existing Copyright Office policy. The regulation is in accordance with the House of Representatives report that accompanied the new copyright law, when it was passed in 1976: "The Committee has considered, but chosen to defer, the possibility of protecting the design of typefaces. A 'typeface' can be defined as a set of letters, numbers, or other symbolic characters, whose forms are related by repeating design elements consistently applied in a notational system and are intended to be embodied in articles whose intrinsic utilitarian function is for use in composing text or other cognizable combinations of characters. The Committee does not regard the design of typeface, as thus defined, to be a copyrightable 'pictoral, graphic, or sculptural work' within the meaning of this bill and the application of the dividing line in section 101." H. R. Rep. No. 94-1476, 94th Congress, 2d Session at 55 (1976), reprinted in 1978 U.S. Cong. and Admin. News 5659, 5668. It's also in accordance with the one court case I know of that has considered the matter: Eltra Corp. V. Ringer, 579 F.2d 294, 208 USPQ 1 (1978, C.A. 4, Va.). The Copyright Office holds that a bitmapped font is nothing more than a computerized representation of a typeface, and as such is not copyrightable: "The [September 29, 1988] Policy Decision [published at 53 FR 38110] based on the [October 10,] 1986 Notice of Inquiry [published at 51 FR 36410] reiterated a number of previous registration decisions made by the [Copyright] Office. First, under existing law, typeface as such is not registerable. The Policy Decision then went on to state the Office's position that 'data that merely represents an electronic depiction of a particular typeface or individual letterform' [that is, a bitmapped font] is also not registerable." 57 FR 6201. However, scalable fonts are, in the opinion of the Copyright Office, computer programs, and as such are copyrightable: "... the Copyright Office is persuaded that creating scalable typefonts using already-digitized typeface represents a significant change in the industry since our previous [September 29, 1988] Policy Decision. We are also persuaded that computer programs designed for generating typeface in conjunction with low resolution and other printing devices may involve original computer instructions entitled protection under the Copyright Act. For example, the creation of scalable font output programs to produce harmonious fonts consisting of hundreds of characters typically involves many decisions in drafting the instructions that drive the printer. The expression of these decisions is neither limited by the unprotectable shape of the letters nor functionally mandated. This expression, assuming it meets the usual standard of authorship, is thus registerable as a computer program." 57 FR 6202. *-[Unquote]---------------------------------------------------------*