Re: Fonts WG Charter feedback

On Thu, Jul 2, 2009 at 1:47 AM, Christopher Fynn<cfynn@gmx.net> wrote:
> While font vendors may be pushing for it, in the long run, is a new web-only
> font format going to be any more effective at "protecting" fonts than
> various audio formats have been at "protecting" music?

The formats being countenanced right now are *much* more benign than
the DRM often used for music/video/games/etc.  Fonts you've purchased
won't suddenly refuse to work, for instance, in even the most extreme
proposals (e.g. EOT with root strings).  You have full control of the
files and all data is stored in an openly-specified format.  You just
have to change their format using freely-available tools before
they'll work for the web, and convert back to use them for the
desktop.

> Wouldn't it be much easier for font foundries and vendors to find
> sites using their fonts (legally or illegally) where the original
> un-obfuscated, un-subsetted fonts are being used?

Current proposals do not call for mandatory subsetting, nor for any
obfuscation beyond that necessary to make them not work on existing
desktops (which might be changing one byte).

Received on Thursday, 2 July 2009 18:43:40 UTC