Hello,
in IRC I got the hint to ask my questions here. Sorry for my english.
I published a true type font under GPL license. You can find it at http://fixedsys.moviecorner.de
Today I got an email saying (free translation):
"we want to use your font (f.e. because of the euro sign) in our pps system. Because of the GPL this is not allowed for us without payment."
I don't understand what his problem is and I don't see problems with using the font in their system if they give a text file with the GPL license with it and install the font on the customer's system.
May this company take the font and give it away to customers if the GPL is included and software itself makes use of the font via the OS? The font is not included in the software then, it is not linked. It's just installed as the customer would have downloaded it from my website.
Thanks in advance for your answers, Lars Naber
On Thursday 28 October 2004 00:17, Lars wrote:
in our pps system. Because of the GPL this is not allowed
According to my understanding, they want to use your font in a proprietary non-GPL application. I am not lawyer and this is not legal advice.
I don't understand what his problem is and I don't see problems with
According to the best of my partial knowledge, GPL has some restrictions when it comes to linking with non-Free programs. I am not lawyer and this is not legal advice.
May this company take the font and give it away to customers if the GPL
Personally I think that LGPL would be a better choice if your intention is to allow easy incorporation of your font in non-Free applications. I am not lawyer and this is not legal advice.
On 2004-10-27 22:17:49 +0100 Lars fixedsys@moviecorner.de wrote:
May this company take the font and give it away to customers if the GPL is included and software itself makes use of the font via the OS? [...]
I would think that's aggregation, especially if they don't have to compile your font into the program and if it's possible to use another font if wanted. http://gnu.hands.com/licenses/gpl-faq.html#MereAggregation
On Wed, 2004-10-27 at 23:17, Lars wrote:
Hello,
in IRC I got the hint to ask my questions here. Sorry for my english.
I published a true type font under GPL license. You can find it at http://fixedsys.moviecorner.de
Today I got an email saying (free translation):
"we want to use your font (f.e. because of the euro sign) in our pps system. Because of the GPL this is not allowed for us without payment."
I don't understand what his problem is and I don't see problems with using the font in their system if they give a text file with the GPL license with it and install the font on the customer's system.
I do not either understand that, either they have not understood how the GPL works, or they want you to put it under a more liberal license so that they can proprietarize it and sell it and keep it proprietary.
May this company take the font and give it away to customers if the GPL is included and software itself makes use of the font via the OS? The font is not included in the software then, it is not linked. It's just installed as the customer would have downloaded it from my website.
I find it really difficult to think that the application they made is a "derivative" work of your font.
Just tell them that packing in the same package 2 unrelated works with different licenses is not a problem for the GPL and that they must obey to the GPL only for the font, not for the whole packaging.
Simo.