Font copyright

Are all fonts copyrighted

[donnyjoseph]

I am starting a website for fonts.
I want to know if I can put all the fonts avaiable on the net.
Is there any copy right problem
thanks

[Marcia]

There is a copyright issue with any created original works, including fonts. They remain the property of the person that created the work unless they've specifically put them in the public domain, which generally doesn't happen with fonts. Some fonts are commercial and sold, others are freeware; but credit still has to be given.

With some fonts there's implicit or specific permission given to include them in collections for download as long as the copyright information remains in the helpme file that's included when downloading the font and proper credit is given. With others, you need to contact the creator and get permission first. With others it's not allowed altogether.

The best thing is to go through some readme files to see what they say. Plus, if you look through some collections you'll see that there are a lot of fonts created by the same fontographer.

If I were going to put up a font collection for download I'd start by contacting fontographers who create a lot of them out there and get their specific permission to include theirs in a collection and start with those. For the ones out there that give permission in the helpme file, you can just follow their instructions and stay on the safe side; that's why the information is included with the fonts.

[mgream]

On the other hand, you would likely be safe creating a website that 'links' to fonts available elsewhere - so long as you take regard to various linking issues and so on.

If you use a modicum of creativity or skill, labour and judgement to create your ''arrangement'', then you can meet the qualifications for copyright protection for your site. If you host your website in the EU, you automatically obtain sui generis right in your database merely as a result of the investment of time effort and resources you have applied, even if you haven't applied any MC/SLJ to the collection per se.

Such a website would be beneficial to font creators anyway, because you're creating an intermediate marketplace that is likely to be to their benefit. Needless to say, such a website would also be beneficial to end users as a single point of reference for fonts. You could follow the froogle paradigm and draw automated feeds from font producers, and apply reputation style approaches (such as user reviews, ratings) and so on to build community value. In the future, you could then back end your website into applications by - say - software plugins that allow users to automatically select fonts and download them locally, involving a payment (or open/free licensing) along the way. Even if you didn't want to do this, the fact taht you own copyright in your system and compilation would mean that you could license this particular use of your website to a third party who would produce the plugin.

For a rough example, look at dictionary.com and the way that it is plugged into google. If I could get a Microsoft Word plugin that drew from dictionary.com to show me meanings of words/etc, then I'd gladly pay a small fee.

Many new opportunities in the online marketplace!

Matthew