craigsblog:

theleagueofmoveabletype:

So you’ve made a typeface, and you want to make it available for anyone to use and modify for free, but you have some concerns. Here are our best and honest answers to some of the common concerns type designers have when making their fonts open-source.

1. I want to give out my font for free, so they can use it for commercial or non-commercial things, and I don’t mind having people studying and modifying my font. But I don’t want someone to modify my font, and then re-publish it on their own website. What if someone makes some crappy changes, then people will think that I make crappy fonts. Wouldn’t that compromise the integrity of my original font?

The OFL specifically prevents people from redistributing a modified typeface under the same name as the original typeface, unless you, the creator of the original font, give your permission of course. So if someone decide to make changes to your original font that you don’t approve, they would have to call it something else, making it a totally different font than your original one.

2. If I’m giving my font away for free, will I get credited whenever it’s used?

Well, no. Acknowledgement of the font creator is not required by the OFL. You can say this is the ‘open’ part of the OFL. Not requiring people to give credit everytime the font is used/reproduce/printed makes it easier for people to actually use your font, with less headache and legal mumbo jumbo, you know? But in our experience, most people are more than happy to give credit to the font designers even when it’s not required, I guess that’s just their way of saying ‘thanks’.

3. Why OFL, what’s wrong with Creative Commons?

There’s nothing wrong with CC. Creative Commons is great for choosing what kind of restrictions you want to put when people are using your intellectual properties (attribution, attribution share-alike, etc), but since we’re talking strictly about open source fonts here, it’s simpler to go with a license that’s applies specifically to fonts and strictly open-source.

There’s only one OFL you can choose from, which basically allows people to use and modify the original font for free, and any modified versions of the font, must be released under the same OFL license.

4. I made this typeface, and I want anyone to be able to download it, use it freely anywhere, and even modify it, but I don’t want to restrict my own future work with this font to have to be open sourced. If I release the original font under the OFL, wouldn’t I be restricting any derivations of the font, whether it’s my own or someone else’s, to remain open source?

No. Since you’re the original creator and the copyright holder of your font, you will retain all the rights to your creation. You are only releasing a portion of your font for use in a specific way. For example, you may choose to release a ‘basic’ version of the font under the OFL, but sell a restricted ‘enhanced’ version. Only you, the copyright holder, can do this.

5. Okay, I like what you’re saying, but I want to read this OFL for myself, where can I find the actual license text?

The official text of the OFL can be found here. To download the OFL.txt file to include it with your font, click here.

6. More questions?

If you have questions about using an OFL font and wondering what the restrictions are, there is a really helpful FAQ page that will likely answer most of your questions. If you can’t find the answer there, just shoot them an email, they’re super friendly and timely.

blandben:

• I was making pancakes the other day and a fly flew into the kitchen. And that’s when I realized that a spatula is a lot like a fly swatter. And a crushed fly is a lot like a blueberry. And a roommate is a lot like a fly eater.

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