Re: Fonts that must be purchased - nonfree?

[Bagas Sanjaya <bagasdotme@gmail.com>]

Hi Jonathan,

Jonathan Carter said:

> 
>     * The foodb upstream has already bought the font license (in case
>        of Söhne, he bought desktop and web license). If I as Debian packager
>        wants to also distribute Söhne for the sake of foodb (under license
>        in the name of Debian), at least both licenses and OEM license must
>        also be purchased, IMO. Is both all licenses acceptable?
> 
> 
> You haven't actually shared the license text in question, so very specific answers isn't possible.
> 
> 

You haven't tried buying the font from the link at the start of this thread
(and I'm not, either, because I don't have required bucks).

>     * With Debian distributing this commercial font, there is a "pirating"
>        loophole that someone else can extract the font files and distributing
>        them freely on various sites (including torrent and shady ones) with
>        Debian licensee attached. What do you think?
> 
> 
> To be included in Debian, it has to conform with the Debian Free Software Guidelines:
> 
> https://www.debian.org/social_contract#guidelines
> 
> Licensing conditions like you describe above would be against DFSG#8.
> 

OK, thanks for the explanation (albeit a rather confusing to me).

For the background: The foodb upstream uses non-free (commercial) Söhne font,
for which the upstream has bought and acquired appropriate licenses for
the package purpose, and I was about to package it for Debian including
the font. He probably chooses Söhne because there is no suitable free fonts
that provide the same or similar typographical features as Söhne do (and
partly due to ChatGPT influence). Hence, I was asked if the font can be
distributed in Debian, since I had not found similar thread in debian-legal
list.

> 
>     * Supposed that the foodb upstream refuses to change the font choice
>        (and insists on Söhne) due to his preference when I request the
>        change after reading this fact. What can I do about it?
> 
> 
> <snipped>...
>  * Host it in an external archive outside of Debian.

If I prefer to have foodb Debian package keep using non-DFSG-free Söhne,
do you mean I have to host the font on my server (and with my license)?

Thanks.

-- 
An old man doll... just what I always wanted! - Clara