Commercial use of font with GPL licence

[Simo Sorce]

On Wed, 2004-10-27 at 23:17, Lars wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> in IRC I got the hint to ask my questions here. Sorry for my english.
> 
> I published a true type font under GPL license. You can find it at 
> http://fixedsys.moviecorner.de
> 
> Today I got an email saying (free translation):
>  > "we want to use your font (f.e. because of the euro sign)
>  > in our pps system. Because of the GPL this is not allowed
>  > for us without payment."
> I don't understand what his problem is and I don't see problems with 
> using the font in their system if they give a text file with the GPL 
> license with it and install the font on the customer's system.

I do not either understand that, either they have not understood how the
GPL works, or they want you to put it under a more liberal license so
that they can proprietarize it and sell it and keep it proprietary.

> May this company take the font and give it away to customers if the GPL 
> is included and software itself makes use of the font via the OS? The 
> font is not included in the software then, it is not linked. It's just 
> installed as the customer would have downloaded it from my website.

I find it really difficult to think that the application they made is a
"derivative" work of your font.

Just tell them that packing in the same package 2 unrelated works with
different licenses is not a problem for the GPL and that they must obey
to the GPL only for the font, not for the whole packaging.

Simo.

-- 
Simo Sorce - simo.sorce at xsec.it
Xsec s.r.l. - http://www.xsec.it
via Garofalo, 39 - 20133 - Milano
mobile: +39 329 328 7702
tel. +39 02 2953 4143 - fax: +39 02 700 442 399