/gfs-porson-fonts-20060908/OFL-FAQ.txt
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- OFL FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about the SIL Open Font License (OFL)
- Version 1.0 - 22 November 2005
- (See http://scripts.sil.org/OFL for updates)
- 1 ABOUT USING AND DISTRIBUTING FONTS LICENSED UNDER THE OFL
- 1.1 Can I use the fonts in any publication, even embedded in the file?
- Yes. You may use them like most other fonts, but unlike some fonts you may
- include an embedded subset of the fonts in your document. Such use does not
- require you to include this license or other files (listed in OFL condition 2),
- nor does it require any type of acknowledgement within the publication. Some
- mention of the font name within the publication information (such as in a
- colophon) is usually appreciated. If you wish to include the complete font as a
- separate file, you should distribute the full font package, including all
- existing acknowledgements, and comply with the OFL conditions. Of course,
- referencing or embedding an OFL font in any document does not change the
- license of the document itself. The resulting document is not a derivative
- anymore than a compiled program is a derivative of a compiler. Similarly,
- creating a graphic using an OFL font does not make the resulting artwork
- subject to the OFL.
- 1.2 Can I make web pages using these fonts?
- Yes! Go ahead! Using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is recommended.
- 1.3 Can I make the fonts available to others from my web site?
- Yes, as long as you meet the conditions for use (include the necessary files,
- don't abuse the Author(s)' names, rename Modified Versions, do not sublicense
- and do not sell by itself).
- 1.4 Can the fonts be included with free and open source software distributions
- (such as GNU/Linux and BSD distributions)?
- Yes! The OFL is compatible with most FLOSS (Free/Libre and Open Source
- Software) licenses. You can also repackage the fonts and the accompanying
- components in a .rpm or .deb package and include them in distro CD/DVDs and
- online repositories.
- 1.5 I want to distribute the fonts with my program. Does this mean my program
- also has to be free and open source software?
- No. Only the portions based on the font software are required to be released
- under the OFL. The intent of the license is to allow aggregation or bundling
- also with software under restricted licensing.
- 1.6 Can I include the fonts on a CD of freeware or commercial fonts?
- Yes, as long some other font or software is also on the disk, so the OFL font
- is not sold by itself.
- 1.7 Can I sell a software package that includes these fonts?
- Yes, you can do this with both the Standard Version and a Modified Version.
- Examples of bundling made possible by the OFL would include: word processors,
- design and publishing applications, training and educational software,
- edutainment software, etc.
-
-
- 1.8 Why won't the OFL let me sell the fonts alone?
- The intent is to keep people from making money by simply redistributing the
- fonts. The only people who ought to profit directly from the fonts should be
- the original authors, and those authors have kindly given up potential income
- to distribute their fonts under the OFL. Please honor and respect their
- contribution!
- 1.9 I've come across a font released under the OFL. How can I easily get more
- information about the Standard Version? How can I know where it stands compared
- to the Standard Version or other Modified Versions?
- Consult the copyright statement in the license for how to contact the original
- authors. Consult the FONTLOG for information on if and how the font differs
- from the Standard Version, and get in touch with the various contributors via
- the information in the acknowledgment section. Please consider using the
- Standard Versions of the fonts whenever possible.
- 1.10 What do you mean in condition 4? Can you provide examples of abusive
- promotion / endorsement / advertisement vs. normal acknowledgement?
- The intent is that the goodwill and reputation of the authors should not be
- used in a way that makes it sound like the original authors endorse or approve
- of a specific Modified Version or software bundle. For example, it would not be
- right to advertise a word processor by naming the authors in a listing of
- software features, or to promote a Modified Version on a web site by saying
- "designed by...". However, it would be appropriate to acknowledge the authors
- if your software package has a list of people who deserve thanks. We realize
- that this can seem to be a gray area, but the standard used to judge an
- acknowledgement is that if the acknowledgement benefits the authors it is
- allowed, but if it primarily benefits other parties, or could reflect poorly on
- the authors, then it is not.
- 2 ABOUT MODIFYING OFL LICENSED FONTS
- 2.1 Can I change the fonts? Are there any limitations to what things I can and
- cannot change?
- You are allowed to change anything, as long as such changes do not violate the
- terms of the license. In other words, you could not remove the copyright
- statement from the font, but you could add additional information into it that
- covers your contribution.
- 2.2 I have a font that needs a few extra glyphs - can I take them from an OFL
- licensed font and copy them into mine?
- Yes, but if you distribute that font to others it must be under the OFL, and
- include the information mentioned in condition 2 of the license.
- 2.3 Can I charge people for my additional work? In other words, if I add a
- bunch of special glyphs and/or OpenType/Graphite code, can I sell the enhanced
- font?
- Not by itself. Derivative fonts must be released under the OFL and cannot be
- sold by themselves. It is permitted, however, to include them in a larger
- software package (such as text editors, office suites or operating systems),
- even if the larger package is sold. In that case, you are strongly encouraged,
- but not required, to also make that derived font easily and freely available
- outside of the larger package.
- 2.4 Can I pay someone to enhance the fonts for my use and distribution?
- Yes. This is a good way to fund the further development of the fonts. Keep in
- mind, however, that if the font is distributed to others it must be under the
- OFL. You won't be able to recover your investment by exclusively selling the
- font, but you will be making a valuable contribution to the community. Please
- remember how you have benefitted from the contributions of others.
- 2.5 I need to make substantial revisions to the font to make it work with my
- program. It will be a lot of work, and a big investment, and I want to be sure
- that it can only be distributed with my program. Can I restrict its use?
- No. If you redistribute a Modified Version of the font it must be under the
- OFL. You may not restrict it in any way. This is intended to ensure that all
- released improvements to the fonts become available to everyone. But you will
- likely get an edge over competitors by being the first to distribute a bundle
- with the enhancements. Again, please remember how you have benefitted from the
- contributions of others.
- 2.6 Do I have to make any derivative fonts (including source code, build
- scripts, documentation, etc.) publicly available?
- No, but please do share your improvements with others. You may find that you
- receive more than what you gave in return.
- 2.7 Why can't I use the Reserved Font Name(s) in my derivative font names? I'd
- like people to know where the design came from.
- The best way to acknowledge the source of the design is to thank the original
- authors and any other contributors in the files that are distributed with your
- revised font (although no acknowledgement is required). The FONTLOG is a
- natural place to do this. Reserved Font Name(s) ensure that the only fonts that
- have the original names are the unmodified Standard Versions. This eliminates
- potential confusion and name conflicts. When choosing a name be creative and
- try to avoid names that sound like the original. Keep in mind that the
- copyright holder can allow a specific trusted partner to use Reserved Font
- Name(s) through a separate written agreement.
- 2.8 What do you mean by "references stored in the Font Software"? Do I have to
- delete every reference to the Reserved Font Name(s) from inside every file I
- modify?
- No, not every reference. It would be fine, for example, to keep a text
- reference to the original fonts in your modified source code, as long as no one
- could be confused that your modified source is the original. But you cannot use
- the Reserved Font Names in any way to identify the font to the user (unless the
- Copyright Holder allows it through a separate agreement, see section 2.7).
- Users who install derivatives ("Modified Versions") on their systems should not
- see any of the original names ("Reserved Font Names") in their font menus, font
- properties dialogs, PostScript streams, documents that refer to a particular
- font name, etc. Again, this is to ensure that users are not confused and do not
- mistake a font for another and so expect features only another derivative or
- the Standard Version can actually offer. Ultimately, creating name conflicts
- will cause many problems for the users as well as for the designer of both the
- Standard and derivative versions, so please think ahead and find a good name
- for your own derivative. Font substitution systems like fontconfig,
- OpenOffice.org or Scribus will also get very confused if the name of the font
- they are configured to substitute to actually refers to another physical font
- on the user's hard drive. It will help everyone if Standard and derivative
- fonts can easily be distinguished from one another, and from other derivatives.
-
- 2.9 What is this FONTLOG thing exactly?
- It has three purposes: 1) to provide basic information on the font to users and
- other developers, 2) to document changes that have been made to the font or
- accompanying files, either by the original authors or others, and 3) to provide
- a place to acknowledge the authors and other contributors. Please use it! See
- below for details on how changes should be noted.
- 2.10 Am I required to update the FONTLOG?
- No, but users, designers and other developers might get very frustrated at you
- if you don't! People need to know how derivative fonts differ from the
- originals, and how to take advantage of the changes, or build on them.
- 3 ABOUT THE FONTLOG
- The FONTLOG can take a variety of formats, but should include these four
- sections:
- 3.1 FONTLOG for <FontFamilyName>
- This file provides detailed information on the <FontFamilyName> font software.
- This information should be distributed along with the <FontFamilyName> fonts
- and any derivative works.
- 3.2 Basic Font Information
- (Here is where you would describe the purpose and brief specifications for the
- font project, and where users can find more detailed documentation. It can also
- include references to how changes can be contributed back to the Standard
- Version. You may also wish to include a short guide to the design, or a
- reference to such a document.)
- 3.3 ChangeLog
- (This should list both major and minor changes, most recent first. Here are
- some examples:)
- 1 Feb 2005 (Jane Doe) <NewFontFamilyName> Version 1.1
- - Improved build script performance and verbosity
- - Extended the smart code documentation
- - Corrected minor typos in the documentation
- - Fixed position of combining inverted breve below (U+032F)
- - Added OpenType/Graphite smart code for Armenian
- - Added Armenian glyphs (U+0531 -> U+0587)
- - Released as "<NewFontFamilyName>"
- 1 Jan 2005 (Joe Smith) <FontFamilyName> Version 1.0
- - Initial release of font "<FontFamilyName>"
- 3.4 Acknowledgements
- (Here is where contributors can be acknowledged. If you make modifications be
- sure to add your name (N), email (E), web-address (W) and description (D). This
- list is sorted by last name in alphabetical order.)
- N: Jane Doe
- E: jane@university.edu
- W: http://art.university.edu/projects/fonts
- D: Contributor - Armenian glyphs and code
- N: Fred Foobar
- E: fred@foobar.org
- W: http://foobar.org
- D: Contributor - misc Graphite fixes
- N: Pat Johnson
- E: pat@fontstudio.org
- W: http://pat.fontstudio.org
- D: Designer - Greek & Cyrillic glyphs based on Roman design
- N: Tom Parker
- E: tom@company.com
- W: http://www.company.com/tom/projects/fonts
- D: Engineer - original smart font code
- N: Joe Smith
- E: joe@fontstudio.org
- W: http://joe.fontstudio.org
- D: Designer - original Roman glyphs
- (Original authors can also include information here about their organization.)
- 4 ABOUT MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS
- 4.1 Why should I contribute my changes back to the original authors?
- It would benefit many people if you contributed back to what you've received.
- Providing your contributions and improvements to the fonts and other components
- (data files, source code, build scripts, documentation, etc.) could be a
- tremendous help and would encourage others to contribute as well and 'give
- back', which means you will have an opportunity to benefit from other people's
- contributions as well. Sometimes maintaining your own separate version takes
- more effort than merging back with the original. Be aware that any
- contributions, however, must be either your own original creation or work that
- you own, and you may be asked to affirm that when you contribute.
- 4.2 I've made some very nice improvements to the font, will you consider
- adopting them and putting them into future Standard Versions?
- Most authors would be very happy to receive such contributions. Keep in mind
- that it is unlikely that they would want to incorporate major changes that
- would require additional work on their end. Any contributions would likely need
- to be made for all the fonts in a family and match the overall design and
- style. Authors are encouraged to include a guide to the design with the fonts.
- It would also help to have contributions submitted as patches or clearly marked
- changes (the use of a centralized or distributed source revision control system
- like subversion or arch is a good idea). Examples of useful contributions are
- bug fixes, additional glyphs, stylistic alternates (and the smart font code to
- access them).
- 4.3 How can I financially support the development of OFL fonts?
- It is likely that most authors of OFL fonts would accept financial
- contributions - contact them for instructions on how to do this. Such
- contributions would support future development. You can also pay for others to
- enhance the fonts and contribute the results back to the original authors for
- inclusion in the Standard Versions.
- 5 ABOUT THE LICENSE
- 5.1 I see that this is version 1.0 of the license. Will there be later changes?
- We hope that version 1.0 will meet most needs, but are open to future
- improvements. Any revisions would be for future font releases, and previously
- existing licenses would remain in effect. No retroactive changes are possible,
- although the Copyright Holder can re-release the font under a revised OFL. All
- versions will be available on our web site: http://scripts.sil.org/OFL.
- 5.2 Can I use the SIL Open Font License for my own fonts?
- Yes! We heartily encourage anyone to use the OFL to distribute their own
- original fonts. It is a carefully constructed license that allows great freedom
- with some protection for the original authors and clear rules for other
- contributors. Some additional information is included at the end of this FAQ.
- 5.3 Does this license restrict the rights of the Copyright Holder?
- No. The Copyright Holder still retains all rights to their creation; they are
- only releasing a portion of it for use in a specific way. For example, the
- Copyright Holder may choose to release a 'basic' version of their font under
- the OFL, but sell a restricted 'enhanced' version. Only the Copyright Holder
- can do this.
- 5.4 Is the OFL a contract or a license?
- The OFL is a license and not a contract and so does not require you to sign it
- to have legal validity. By using, modifying and redistributing components under
- the OFL you indicate that you accept the license.
- 6 ABOUT SIL INTERNATIONAL
- 6.1 Who is SIL International and what does it do?
- SIL International is a worldwide faith-based education and development
- organization (NGO) that studies, documents, and assists in developing the
- world's lesser-known languages through literacy, linguistics, translation, and
- other academic disciplines. SIL makes its services available to all without
- regard to religious belief, political ideology, gender, race, or ethnic
- background. SIL's members and volunteers share a Christian commitment.
- 6.2 What does this have to do with font licensing?
- The ability to read, write, type and publish in one's own language is one of
- the most critical needs for millions of people around the world. This requires
- fonts that are widely available and support lesser-known languages. SIL
- develops - and encourages others to develop - a complete stack of writing
- systems implementation components available under open licenses. This open
- stack includes input methods, smart fonts, smart rendering libraries and smart
- applications. There has been a need for a common open license that is
- specifically applicable to fonts and related software (a crucial component of
- this stack) so SIL developed the SIL Open Font License.
- 6.3 How can I contact SIL?
- Our main web site is: http://www.sil.org/
- Our site about complex scripts is: http://scripts.sil.org/
- Information about this license (including contact email information) is at:
- http://scripts.sil.org/OFL
- 7 ABOUT USING THE OFL FOR YOUR ORIGINAL FONTS
- If you want to release your fonts under the OFL, you only need to do the
- following:
- 7.1 Put your copyright and reserved names information in the beginning of the
- main OFL file.
- 7.2 Put your copyright and the OFL references in your various font files (such
- as in TrueType name, description and license fields) and in your other
- components (build scripts, glyph databases, documentation, keyboard, samples,
- etc).
- 7.3 Write an initial FONTLOG for your font and include it in the release
- package.
- 7.4 Include the OFL in your release package.
- 7.5 We also highly recommend you include the relevant practical documentation
- on the license by putting the OFL-FAQ in your package.
- That's all. If you have any more questions please get in touch with us.