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.