I've always found this odd as well that when licensing web fonts, typically the foundries don't allow you to subset (or provide a subset version of their own).
tempfile · 31m ago
If it's not OFL, it goes in the bin.
mattigames · 55m ago
In a world where art illustrations are being copied left and right by AI what is stopping the exact same thing to happen to typefaces? (And with it any license inconveniences)
Kerrick · 49m ago
The design of typefaces aren’t copyrighted in the U.S. The only thing that is protected is the software: TTFs, OTFs, etc. [1] That’s why so many clones of popular fonts (and old metal type) exist.
These days the value in a font isn’t in the letterforms, it’s in the kerning, ligatures, variability, etc. which all flows from the software. It’s also where a significant amount of the labor in creating a typeface comes from. And it’s the thing that sets apart professional-quality fonts from many (but not all!) free ones.
If AI can write new font software by cloning bitmaps of letterforms _and_ get the kerning, ligatures, variability, etc. right… it’ll change the type foundry industry in a big way.
I've always found this odd as well that when licensing web fonts, typically the foundries don't allow you to subset (or provide a subset version of their own).
These days the value in a font isn’t in the letterforms, it’s in the kerning, ligatures, variability, etc. which all flows from the software. It’s also where a significant amount of the labor in creating a typeface comes from. And it’s the thing that sets apart professional-quality fonts from many (but not all!) free ones.
If AI can write new font software by cloning bitmaps of letterforms _and_ get the kerning, ligatures, variability, etc. right… it’ll change the type foundry industry in a big way.
[1]: https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ33.pdf