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#325653: Please check draft font license for StixFonts - is it suitably free?,
which was filed against the fontconfig package.
It has been closed by one of the developers, namely
Josselin Mouette <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>.
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Subject: Re: Bug#325653: Please check draft font license for StixFonts - is
it suitably free?
From: Josselin Mouette <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Simos Xenitellis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: debian-legal@lists.debian.org
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Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 09:10:38 +0200
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Le mardi 30 ao=FBt 2005 =E0 03:37 +0100, Simos Xenitellis a =E9crit :
Package: fontconfig
Version: 1.1
Please, this has nothing to do in a bug log, especially in fontconfig.
The StixFonts project started 10 years ago by several publishing houses=20
of academic journals,
with the aim to create fonts for mathmetical publications.
These fonts, StixFonts, are nearing completion and at this point a draft=20
user license
has been made available at
http://www.stixfonts.org/user_license.html
=20
It looks that the license is similar to that of Bitstream Vera (good!).
Could you please check the license and provide feedback to them?
I would expect as response something like "Yes, we checked the license,=20
and as is, it's suitable to include in Debian!"
or "As is it's not good, but if you change this to that we could include=20
in Debian!".
=20
Such quality fonts are very difficult to find and here we have a good=20
chance to get it right
and have the fonts included in Debian and other distributions.
Sorry, but this is highly non-free :
3. The Font Software may not be modified or altered in any way, except
that: (a) the Fonts may be converted from one format to another (e.g.,
from TrueType to Postscript), in which case the normal and reasonable
distortion that occurs during such conversion shall be permitted; and
(b) additional glyphs or characters may be added to the Fonts, so long
as the base set of glyphs is not modified or removed.
But if you read the next paragraph, it says:
4. If the Fonts are augmented pursuant to Section 3(b), the name used to
denote the resulting fonts set shall not include the term “STIX” or any
similar term, and any distribution or sale of the resulting fonts set
must be free of charge unless the work is distributed or sold as part of
a larger software package.
The people behind StixFonts appear to be quite nice to adapt their
license so that it can be used in free software, so my worry is to
notice now any license issues now, rather than latter.
If they publish the fonts and we find an issue with the license then, we
effectively would have shot ourselves in the foot.
I filed this issue under fontconfig because I have no clue where to
contact in the Debian structure about this.
It would be awesome if Debian could have a look at
http://www.stixfonts.org/user_license.html and make a statement similar to one
of the following:
a. We checked the draft license and if it stays as is, the fonts are properly
free.
b. We checked the draft license and it's not free, but if you change this to
that, it's properly free.
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