RE: WebFonts ready for use

The use of X-OR to obfuscate the font file is a simple way of keeping fonts in the EOT file container from "accidental" distribution. It is not intended as a DRM or significant protection.

IMO putting DRM on fonts is performance drag and has questionable value.



Paul



-----Original Message-----
From: www-style-request@w3.org [mailto:www-style-request@w3.org] On Behalf Of Maciej Stachowiak
Sent: Friday, May 02, 2008 8:16 AM
To: Dave Crossland
Cc: David Woolley; www-style@w3.org
Subject: Re: WebFonts ready for use



On May 1, 2008, at 2:33 AM, Dave Crossland wrote:

> 2008/5/1 David Woolley <forums@david-woolley.me.uk>:
>>
>> Patrick Garies wrote:
>>>
>>> This could be dealt with by adding a shareability flag and/or domain
>>> white‐listing mechanism to CSS3 Web Fonts that could prevent a
>>> Web font from
>>> being shared indirectly.
>>
>> That's what EOT fonts already do, and it is that model that people
>> are
>> rejecting in this thread.  A
>
>> EOT basically is a domain whitelisting wrapper.
>
> I think it is dramatically more than that; because of the encryption,
> EOT is an "effective technological measure" under any applicable law
> fulfilling obligations under article 11 of the WIPO copyright treaty
> adopted on 20 December 1996, or similar laws prohibiting or
> restricting circumvention of such measures.

Is a trivial encryption algorithm like XOR with 0x50 really an
"effective technological measure"? It has the strength of rot13, and
now is publicly specified in a W3C Member Submission. Is the C ^
operator now a "circumvention device"?

Regards,
Maciej

Received on Friday, 2 May 2008 00:29:07 UTC