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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)

#51

Post by mattferderer »

52-6F-62 wrote: post #36
mattferderer wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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/

I fully support your point—many times there are free or system fonts that are at least as of high quality. That said I only missed MATTEL on that one. Helv has a few giveaways and refinements but most people don't care—though the differences Arial and other modified Helveticas do have arguably render the type less neutral.

I can't remember if I was able to get them all right or if I missed one when I first did it. I had graphic designer friends do it & they scored roughly the same as you & me.

The difference of course is we all know what to look for & were purposely looking for those differences.

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

#52

Post by wnevets »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #50
roywiggins wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Accidentally exposing a folder of copyrighted font files over FTP would probably technically violate the license, even if it was by accident. You're serving the files outside of the licensed use (serving and rendering a webpage). Same as if you accidentally exposed to the internet your home server of legally-created DVD backups. You'd still be violating the license under which you bought the DVDs.

Show me an attorney willing to pursue accidental violators for damages, especially when the asset in question is intended to be publicly served in the course of its use. I would genuinely be interested in case law's stance on this. Also interested in what happens to the value of non-public domain fonts if you require the digital asset to be handled as a secret (and all of the hassle that goes along with that).

>Show me an attorney willing to pursue accidental violators for damages, especially when the asset in question is intended to be publicly served in the course of its use.

There are some pretty sleazy lawyers out there.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/grandmother-sued-downloading-...

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

#53

Post by na85 »

ketralnis wrote: post #3
jancsika wrote: post #2

Is this "piracy" in the sense of Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean?" Like, Github is taking an niche subject matter, packaging it up for a more general audience, and then distributing it worldwide?

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

So is using the font on a website.

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

#54

Post by teknopaul »

wnevets wrote: post #28
c3534l wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Yes. Dont upload stock images to open source code projects either. Or any other copyrighted material like your mp3 collection.

I think what would be useful would be to highlight the many fonts that can be used. E.g Google's open source fonts.

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

#55

Post by mattkevan »

skilled wrote: post #14

I'm guilty of having searched GitHub's repositories for fonts I like. Using them for personal projects and wouldn't mind paying for a license if I end up loving it. Though, it begs the question: who and how will find out that you simply borrowed the font?

They can and do find out.

I used to work for a company that got hit up by Monotype for a six figure fine to pay for using one of their fonts. The previous head of design hadn’t bothered to sort tricky things like paying for fonts, mainly, I think, because he knew senior management wouldn’t spring for it.

We switched them out for free alternatives and negotiated down the fee, but they still had to part with a good amount of cash.

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

#56

Post by djsumdog »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #16
c3534l wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Correct. Article OP is making the argument for a font to be treated as a secret when it is not a secret. Intent and context is important; users aren't putting them up on torrent sites in this case, but simply storing them alongside the rest of their assets in source control. EDIT: TLDR Downloading a publicly available font you don't have a license to use violates copyright.

I guess the distinction is oh Github, a project might have an MIT License with a commercial font. Maybe the focus of this article should be, "be sure to include the license for your fonts, images and other assets in the LICENSE file" ?

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

#57

Post by cannonedhamster »

AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #23
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.

Too late. They've already tried to do this.

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

#59

Post by toomuchtodo »

wnevets wrote: post #52
toomuchtodo wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Show me an attorney willing to pursue accidental violators for damages, especially when the asset in question is intended to be publicly served in the course of its use. I would genuinely be interested in case law's stance on this. Also interested in what happens to the value of non-public domain fonts if you require the digital asset to be handled as a secret (and all of the hassle that goes along with that).

>Show me an attorney willing to pursue accidental violators for damages, especially when the asset in question is intended to be publicly served in the course of its use. There are some pretty sleazy lawyers out there. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/grandmother-sued-downloading-...

Usually the sleaziest are dealt with accordingly, but it is a fair point. Anyone can be sued for anything.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/07/prenda-law-porn-...

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

#60

Post by bduerst »

c3534l wrote: post #15
pavlov wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. That’s why Windows bundled Arial instead of Helvetica. Although the design of Arial is slightly modified, it’s fundamentally a straightforward Helvetica clone with metrics compatibility (you can plug it in a layout in place of Helvetica and not break anything).

You have it wrong. Arial was created to not have to bother with international typeface laws as a legally distinct Helvetica. Apple just paid the licensing fees in those countries where they were required to.

You are both right:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetica#Arial_and_MS_Sans_Se...

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