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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 <cfgrob@weizmann.weizmann.ac.il>
Angelos Karageorgiou <karage@insci.com>,<karage@scus1.ctstateu.edu>
Alexandre (Alex) Khalil <9999SC01@DT3.DT.UH.EDU>,<alex@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):
îëé ëæàë
3148 .â.Ü
ìëîÖàÿë
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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: <WALSH.92Sep4153207@ibis.cs.umass.edu>
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 <walsh@cs.umass.edu> and
Bharathi Jagadeesh <bjag@nwu.edu>
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 <tjc50@juts.ccc.amdahl.COM> 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