Re: ITP: ttf-japanese-kandata
Thank you very much for checking facts.
(I think if there is more to be discussed on this copyright, it should
be moved to debian-legal list.)
With your statement as presented, I had to concur with Branden. But I
actually think this can be made into DFSG free package if you present
copyright issues properly to the public with further documentation from
Wakaba-san / Uchida-san. If there still remain any issues in some part
of FONT, you can always remove those portions from package and replace
them with the other PD fonts. If someone spend time in the future and
provide patch to make them as homogeneous feel, that will make good FREE
font set.
As far as Uchida-san's portion is concerned, they are clearly PD.
Big question is what did Mr. Wakaba used as the base of glyph. And how
far modification later affected the total collection. If he started
with then popular PC9800's ROM fonts with mere 16x16 bitmap fonts as
starting point of making TT fonts, it may be well within fair use.
This becomes more so, if heavy manual editing occurred to make these TT
fonts to look homogeneous and legal shape. If he took these from TT MS
fonts, maybe not. (Here I am talking complicated KANJI where 7
horizontal lines need to be identified within this small 16x16 bitmap
space. It is equivalent of 8x8 in English) Documenting history of this
font set and making them into clean set is the worthy cause.
Following may be useful as a reference point for the copyright law.
If I remember correctly, basic shape of glyph is not be copyrighted
since it is common to all fonts and should be legible. Also for dot
matrix fonts, mere coincident does not make a violation of copyright due
to limited possibility of choice.
Also note that, even with new copyright law, font itself is not covered
by the copyright law in Japan. (Software is covered.) Japan has not
verified WIPO 1997 treaty on this typeface thing either. (That is my
web search result. IANAL.)
I remember reading that ADOBE created postscript fonts in such a way
that they can claim them as a "software" in which shape is programmed
into a code. (This is to make sure they keep their right under most
legal system.) So copyright of fonts are slightly different issue from
ordinary software copyright in legal term.
Regards,
Osamu
On Thu, Apr 26, 2001 at 12:22:46AM +0000, Takashi Okamoto wrote:
> document were not remained yet. Mr. wakaba said "I think there is no
> problem because I(wakaba) and Mr.UCHIDA remake a lot of glyphs and
> nobody point out the problem up to now. But I can't guarantee it."
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