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Github became the web's largest font piracy site (2017)

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Re: Github became the web's largest font piracy site (2017)

#21

Post by yjftsjthsd-h »

alunchbox wrote: post #13
ketralnis wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No? This is taking copyrighted material owned by somebody else and distributing it to people that haven't paid for it.

From a legal standpoint, based on the article most of these developers are keeping the fonts in their assets (debatable if this is good or not).For public repositories, not to be malicious and be offer free fonts... How much trouble would they be in? I Assume this is probably possible for FontAwesome premium icons as well ? Having the server host the assets is probably the best solution (same rep) but if it's not in…

> it needs to be managed in the build for other open source developers. What's the Correct way of handling this situation?

I would rather expect an open source project to use open-source fonts in the first place, not least because it makes this precise problem a non-issue.

Re: Github became the web's largest font piracy site (2017)

#23

Post by AdmiralAsshat »

stefan_ wrote: post #9

Wait until they find out that when people visit the finished website in their browser, it will download the font! Oh the piracy! Just like in the real world, someone handing you the keys to their car doesn't mean you own it.

Shh! Whisper this too loudly and people will start moving font-rendering behind DRM encryption modules.

Re: Github became the web's largest font piracy site (2017)

#25

Post by mattferderer »

Nextgrid wrote: post #7
jchw wrote: post #4

Interestingly, typefaces are not copyrightable in the US, though fonts, being computer code, can be. Not sure how this influences the situation, though.

Wouldn’t it then be legal to make your own font (so you own the copyright on the computer code) representing a commercial typeface?

Great article arguing why many large companies do this - https://www.arun.is/blog/custom-typefaces/

Re: Github became the web's largest font piracy site (2017)

#26

Post by lr »

snek wrote: post #18
Gracana wrote: post #5

What's the difference between putting webfonts on your public website vs putting them on your public github? This seems like a distinction that only lawyers would care about, but I'm not a web developer (and I don't know much about webfonts) so maybe there's something I'm missing.

Even better, what if I have it on github because github pages is my site host?

As Steve Jobs would have said, "Boom!" Perfect example!

Re: Github became the web's largest font piracy site (2017)

#28

Post by wnevets »

c3534l wrote: post #10
wnevets wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IANAL but I believe you may have a license (paid money) to use the font on your site but you may not have a licence redistribute the font. You paid for the right to air the latest UFC fight at your bar but that doesn't grant you the ability to sale DVDs of it. However a user of yours could just download the font from your web server or record the fight on their phone.

But it's not like a webpage renders an image for you and then you rend an image: you send the user a font so that they can render the page themselves with that font. It's being distributed either way.

Doesn't licensing images like stock photography have the exact issue?

technically the font is just a bunch of 1s and 0s but here we are.

Re: Github became the web's largest font piracy site (2017)

#29

Post by mattferderer »

mattferderer wrote: post #25
Nextgrid wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wouldn’t it then be legal to make your own font (so you own the copyright on the computer code) representing a commercial typeface?

Great article arguing why many large companies do this - https://www.arun.is/blog/custom-typefaces/

Edit- Also a fun old quiz that helps beg the question, do you really need to add a fancy font over a system font? - http://www.ironicsans.com/helvarialquiz/

Re: Github became the web's largest font piracy site (2017)

#30

Post by usaphp »

c3534l wrote: post #10
wnevets wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IANAL but I believe you may have a license (paid money) to use the font on your site but you may not have a licence redistribute the font. You paid for the right to air the latest UFC fight at your bar but that doesn't grant you the ability to sale DVDs of it. However a user of yours could just download the font from your web server or record the fight on their phone.

But it's not like a webpage renders an image for you and then you rend an image: you send the user a font so that they can render the page themselves with that font. It's being distributed either way.

Website also sends copyrighted photos, it does not mean you can re-use them on your own site.
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