Piratage fontes

["Jef Tombeur" <jtombeur@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

-----Message d'origine-----
De : Jacques Andre <Jacques.Andre@xxxxxxxx>
À : Jacques Melot <melot@xxxxxx>
Cc : typographie@xxxxxxxx <typographie@xxxxxxxx>
Date : mercredi 6 mai 1998 10:03
Objet : Re: Probleme avec les archives typo !


>Jacques Melot wrote:
>
>>    On peut certes accéder aux archives de typographie, etc.

Tout d'abord, un petit exposé de ma demande d'aide aux participants de la
liste, ensuite une info (en anglais) sur le piratage des fontes
Comme les problèmes d'accès aux archives de la liste semblent devoir un peu
perdurer, je me trouve dans l'impossibilité de retrouver vos messages sur le
piratage des polices de caractères (notamment ceux mentionnant la
disponibilité de polices sur le site perso d'un participant hébergé par le
site de Polytechnique ? l'école ? et relatifs à un éditeur américain de CDs
ayant déjà eu maille à partir avec la justice).
Or je dois rendre un papier sur ce sujet dans... mettons, très bientôt, pour
ne pas dire avant-hier.
Tout ce qui me permettrait de rafraîchir ma mémoire serait bienvenu.
Ensuite, sans rouvrir un interminable débat (donc réponse dans l'une de mes
boîtes perso, si vous le voulez bien, à savoir jtombeur@xxxxxxx ou
jtombeur@xxxxxxxxxx de préférence à celle-ci @jussieu.fr), merci de me
communiquer vos opinions sur le sujet (en mentionnant si je peux vous citer
ou non).

Ensuite, je viens de trouver ceci, pour ceux que le sujet intéresse?

Adobe Wins Copyright Suit; Font Pirates Walk the Plank

April 1998 -- In a case that has kept type designers on the edge of their
serifs, Adobe Systems has won a summary judgment in its
copyright-infringement lawsuit against the Learning Company (formerly
Softkey International) and Southern Software Inc. (SSI). Adobe successfully
argued in a U.S. District Court in San Jose, California, that SSI illegally
copied Adobe's Utopia typeface, modified it, and licensed it to the Learning
Company, which then distributed it -- ironically enough -- under the name
Veracity.

Although the ruling from Judge Roland Whyte pertained to only one typeface,
Adobe believes the judgment will apply with equal force to the 1,100 other
SSI fonts in dispute, all of which Adobe says were developed and licensed in
the same manner.

Adobe's small victory revolves around some big issues: central to the case
is whether typeface design can be considered intellectual property that is
protected by copyright, a status that type has thus far been denied under
U.S. law. Unlike software, fonts are viewed as utilitarian items (such as
pencils or pens) and not as creative works of authorship. They can be
patented (a long and expensive process), but not copyrighted. For type
designers and software companies, the controversy is whether digital font
files are bona fide pieces of source code or merely mathematical formulas
for generating typefaces.

In its lawsuit, Adobe complained that SSI and the Learning Company had
extracted reference data (the x- and y-coordinates used to represent
individual characters) from a number of Adobe fonts, multiplied the data by
101 percent, and used a modified font-creation program to strip out the
embedded Adobe copyright notices and insert their own.

Although SSI admitted it had taken those steps, the defense contended that
reference data were exempt from copyright protection.

The judge rejected the argument: "Font [designers] make creative choices as
to what points to select based on the image in front of them," he wrote.
"Any copying of the point is copying of the literal expression." Minus the
legalese, this translates to a big boost for those who view type design as
creative work.

It's doubtful that this is the last word in the case, as the defense intends
to appeal the decision. Judy Jennison, co-counsel for the defense with the
law firm Fenwick and West, says: "Obviously we disagree with the judge's
analysis. Typefaces are unprotectable. That's well established."

Members of the type community were quick to hail the decision. "This is an
important achievement that will help protect not only font designers but
consumers as well," says Chris MacGregor of TypeRight, a font advocacy group
fighting for copyright protection.

"The theft of typeface designs is illegal everywhere else," notes Jack Yan,
a lawyer and type designer in New Zealand. "This decision is one small step
in bringing the U.S. into sync with the rest of the world," he says.

Contact: TypeRight; Adobe Systems., 408-536-6000, 800-445-8787.