Re[2]: Font names

["Arlen P. Walker" <Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- COM>]

    Sadly, it seems that type designers can't legally protect a type -design-.
    However, they can trademark the name they give their creation.

And they can also protect the code which produces the letters (TrueType or
PostScript). But the actual shapes cannot be protected, allowing someone to scan
the letters and design other code which produces the same or similar shapes.

That does lead to the bad-drives-out-good phenomena we're seeing today. Type
from the good houses will scale better and print faster than type from the low-
budget knock-off houses, but the average consumer doesn't care if it takes twice
as long to print his pretty little ransom-note.

I agrre it's a shame, but since many very good designs are really tweaks of
previously created designs, it's hard to see how the system could be changed to
address it, without destroying the very creativity we've already been treated
to.


Have fun,
Arlen
Chief Managing Director In Charge, Department of Redundancy Department
DNRC 124

Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- Com
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