Re: Public domain fonts?
David Starner <dstarner98@aasaa.ofe.org>:
> 7. I am releasing these typefaces as freeware. That's right:
> You don't have to pay me. I am hoping, not in vain, I trust, that
> you have a conscience and will not use or appropriate these typefaces
> to your use without giving some credit where it is due. In all events,
> the notice contained in the fonts must remain intact.
It sounds like the intention is an X11-style licence (BSD without
advertising clause), but I know Debian usually insists on explicit
permission to distribute modified versions for it to count as free.
This is to prevent authors from coming back and "clarifying" (i.e.
changing) the licence later.
Still, this font could presumably be packaged in non-free. The author
could hardly pretend that he hasn't given permission to redistribute
the font unmodified.
Silly, philosophical point: if the author is dead, then there is a
greatly reduced risk of the author coming back and "clarifying" the
licence, so presumably you can interpret the licence more broadly in
that case.
Edmund
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