Symbolset - symbol font using clever opentype ligature hack • Hacker News Board

Re: Symbolset - symbol font using clever opentype ligature hack

#61

Post by quarterto » Sat, Jun 23, 2012, 4:50 PM UTC

masukomi wrote: post #56

quarterto wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Firefox 8 ? Thirteen came out last week.

and "v.8.0, offered to release channel users on November 8th, 2011" the fact that FF has no concept of how to use version numbers means a difference of FIVE version numbers is ... well... meaningless. The only thing worth considering when it comes to FF versions these days is time since release, and eight months is not notably old.

No, but it's still old. There is no excuse to be using an old browser, especially in the age of painless auto-update.

Re: Symbolset - symbol font using clever opentype ligature hack

#62

Post by wolfgke » Sat, Jun 23, 2012, 11:23 PM UTC

dedward wrote: post #32

dkulchenko wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The limitation is to prevent distribution to your software's users. Isn't that an inherent requirement of using the font in software/websites/etc? If I have, say, an open source CMS, I'd have to ship the font somewhere with the code to be able to use it in the UI, no?

yes, but you cant give other people the ability to compose (use) these fonts...... they aren't yours to license. They are licensed to you for use in your own apps, to display them, but you don't have the right to pass that on to others - pretty straightforward. Bad legalese, that's all.

But if I use it in my web-based app it is downloaded automatically (thus passed to others) by the browser. Any user that has a tiny bit of knowledge about technology is simply able to get it.

Re: Symbolset - symbol font using clever opentype ligature hack

#63

Post by georgemcbay » Sun, Jun 24, 2012, 10:10 PM UTC

kevingadd wrote: post #46

If the social set is going to include common social media icons and logos, does that mean it's going to be free? Charging money for a font that is made out of other people's trademarks doesn't seem like it would be legal unless you got their express permission.

I'm pretty sure it isn't legal even if they don't charge for it.

While there are nominative fair use rules for trademarks, that defense is generally used to protect simple uses of the trademarked word and not a trademarked graphical logo. Saying your Cola is "Cheaper than Coca-Cola" is fine (if provably true) even though "Coca-Cola" is trademarked, but including the Coke logo with its distinctive typeface and red color is not fine since it arguably implies Coke's endorsement.

It is possible nobody will C&D them over the social set (bad PR), but it is on very shaky legal ground and a C&D/lawsuit is far more likely if they charge for the font since having it be a commercial offering would likely offset a lot of the bad PR.