There are three basic flavors of "free" fonts. I have listed them here in order of the amount of work it might take an addon author to properly distribute such fonts with an addon.
Public Domain Fonts: Like any other computer software or intellectual property, a font's designer may explicitly disclaim ownership of the work (and related copyright rights). Because digital font files have metadata for copyright notices, the designer typically places the words "public domain" in that field to indicate this. "BlackChancery" is one example of an explicit public domain font.
Some other fonts are widely considered to be implicitly public domain property, by virtue of the designer failing to include any copyright notice and distributing the font both publicly and anonymously. An example of an implicit public domain font is "Bazooka". Like other anonymous intellectual property, the designer could assert ownership at a later date if he or she had evidence to support such a claim. However, the designer would not gain any rights over previous usage of his or her work.
Digital fonts may also "age" into the public domain under most nations' copyright laws, but we are still about 50 years away from that happening.
Open License Fonts: Close relatives of public domain fonts are open license or liberally licensed fonts. With these types of fonts, the designer retains copyright ownership of the font, but stipulates additional conditions for specific copyright rights. For example, the designer may allow free use, free distribution, and free creation of derivative works. Sometimes the designer encourage free contribution to the original work, as well.
In exchange, the designer typically requires the font's licensing documentation to accompany it whenever it is distributed. The designer usually picks a standard license to describe these terms. Some examples of fonts and their open licenses are:
Liberation by Red Hat/Ascender: GPL+exception
Libertine by Phillip H. Poll: GPL+exception and OFL
Gentium by SIL: OFL
Waltograph UI by mickeyavenue: CC NCSA
Bitstream Vera by GNOME/Bistream: custom liberal license
DejaVu by Tavmjong Bah/Bitstream: derivative of Bitstream Vera allowed under its custom liberal license
Freeware Fonts: These fonts generally allow free usage for non-commercial (and sometimes also commercial) purposes. However, the designer typically retains all other copyright rights, such as rights for distribution and the creation of derivative works. These fonts typically do not use any "standard" license.
The vast majority of digital fonts you will find on the dozens of "free font" sites on the internet fall into this category. Sometimes these sites are improperly distributing the fonts themselves, so it is important to always read the font's license carefully for permitted usage. Just because some other web site is doing it doesn't mean you should, too.
If no license is included with the font, it's generally a good idea to track down the designer. Usually, his or her web site will provide a copy of the font with a license, or give instructions on how to obtain a license for distribution. Just like other computer software, you may also find that the designer has released a newer and better version than the one you currently have. With public domain fonts, anything goes. As an addon author, you can do anything you want with them. However, it is a common courtesy to provide attribution and credit to the font's designer if it is not anonymous.
Open license fonts can generally just be tossed into a folder in your addon with a copy of their licenses. You should still read the license, though, just to be sure. Most open license fonts have licenses that can be read and understood by normal human beings, without need for a law degree.
The trickiest fonts are freeware, since they don't use any kind of standardized license. While they are generally free for an individual to use, it is not always clear whether an addon author may distribute them. In cases where there is no license or where distribution is not mentioned at all in the license, the addon author should probably assume that the designer (or copyright owner) retains that right.
For addons that appear to still be maintained and developed on WowAce, I have begun creating tickets (but not reporting them, obviously). I figure if the author doesn't address the issues in the tickets after a few weeks, I can report them at that time so admins can try and contact the author or investigate further.
An "installer" would need to be a third-party executable application, which is a bad idea for many reasons.
I thought "you know...you're absolutely right"... Then I reminded myself of two things... Curse Client and WoWI Update Manager. Both third party executables we use to manage our UI's written by "volunteers"...
Edit: Then I remembered there's been numerous times we, as UI users, have freely installed without question, executables for UI's in the form of profilers, database gather and upload clients, etc. for many projects.
*shrugs* was only a thought to make things easier on all concerned...
Also, the MyMedia file is dead simple. Copy a line. Paste a line. Edit something in quotation marks to give it a name. Edit the path to the image/font file. Done. You can't "break" MyMedia - if you get it wrong, you just (still) don't have access to the image/font.
You can't "break" MyMedia - if you get it wrong, you just (still) don't have access to the image/font.
You also have to copy the font (or make a symbolic link) into the addon.
Actually for fun once I modified my addon install script to update SharedMedia to have a bunch of links to all the activated fonts on my system. Surprisingly it worked okay until I hit an addon with a font selection dropdown that tried to show all the available fonts. As you can imagine (and as I expected) WoW crashed pretty quickly when trying to do that. Not sure if it was a bug in one of the fonts (not that unusual thing), a bug in the renderer (consider the crash trace I got this is actually a possibility), or just too much memory used (I do have a large number of CJK fonts with variant glyphs and advanced opentype support). I wonder how the WoW renderer would handle something like Studio Lettering.
So, we could work on compiling a list of free alternatives to commonly used fonts.
I'll have a look in my folder, I do remember Phanx' UI font at one point was a paid one (yes, she did state she purchased it, and I believe her). I wanted it too, and found a free one that looked quite similar.
I do remember Phanx' UI font at one point was a paid one (yes, she did state she purchased it, and I believe her). I wanted it too, and found a free one that looked quite similar.
Akzidenz Grotesk. I'm currently using Expressway Free (the one featured in most of Neal's screenshots) though... it's slightly less readable, but has way more of a "Warcraft" flavor. :)
You also have to copy the font (or make a symbolic link) into the addon.
Actually for fun once I modified my addon install script to update SharedMedia to have a bunch of links to all the activated fonts on my system. Surprisingly it worked okay until I hit an addon with a font selection dropdown that tried to show all the available fonts. As you can imagine (and as I expected) WoW crashed pretty quickly when trying to do that. Not sure if it was a bug in one of the fonts (not that unusual thing), a bug in the renderer (consider the crash trace I got this is actually a possibility), or just too much memory used (I do have a large number of CJK fonts with variant glyphs and advanced opentype support). I wonder how the WoW renderer would handle something like Studio Lettering.
So yes you can break MyMedia if you try. ;)
Well, mine was a bit simpler...I think it was with SCT, if I remember. Not only did I not get my alternate list (I tried adding a few fonts), I got NO choices besides the default. I mean, the choices were there, but it wouldn't use them. So, yeah, it's breakable alright if you aren't at least partial LUA-capable (which I'm not). I mean, I did a dirty fix for SMM, but taking out a block of code isn't tough, especially when it's clearly marked. The mod is still partially broken from the last patch.
Edit Back on topic... A list of legally distributable fonts would work, also. When we consider most of the mods aren't getting paid to take their personal time to make the game more enjoyable for others, needing them to do all sorts of research on the legalities of the fonts they include is a bit much...
I mean, has anyone asked Elloria if she's gotten permission from Paramount Studios for her use of the Star Trek game's images in her UI she distributes? They DO have strict copyright laws regarding distributed images from their products and derivative works. If "we" are going to go strict on Fonts, then we should look at copyrighted images, as well as other items (it's a nasty can o' worms, to say the least).
A list of legally distributable fonts would work, also. When we consider most of the mods aren't getting paid to take their personal time to make the game more enjoyable for others, needing them to do all sorts of research on the legalities of the fonts they include is a bit much...
Not really. A basic Google search for the name of the font will usually give you the information you need in under 30 seconds. For example, the font Myriad Pro Semibold Condensed is (or at least was) included in many compilations and even a few addons (MonkeyQuest?). Typing the query font "myriad pro" into Google brings up the Adobe type library page for that font family as the top result. Click on the link, and even a 2-second glance at the resulting page makes it pretty clear that it's not a free font.
Plain and simple, if you choose to redistribute copyrighted material, it is your responsibility to know the laws that govern that activity, and obey them. It's no different than driving a car; most people don't get paid to drive a car, but if you choose to do so, it is your responsibility to buy gasoline, maintain insurance coverage, use your turn signals, obey the speed limit and traffic lights, drive on the correct side of the road, and not run over pedestrians.
The widespread and profound ignorance on the subject of copyright never ceases to amaze me, as does the hostility many people display when informed that they are violating it. :(
I think that I came off a bit...off? lol on the quoted remark. I meant that it can be a bit much for work when you're talking about 20-30 fonts...specifically like shared media things. While I agree that generally it's easy, sometimes not so much so. And I just keep reminding myself that too many demands may stop some nice things from flowing. Now, I also understand Curse/WowAce's position(s), as they could be held liable for distribution of such materials.
What I meant was more of a "list of common fonts that are 'fair game' would be nice to provide to mod authors to make things easier on them and 'you', in the long run." *shrugs*
As to the above, while I agree (of course) that copyright issues should be resolved as quickly as possible especially as with regards to ever greater attention on the sites as distributors of more than just uniquely designed materials, my previous remarks still stand. If "we" are to go so headstrong on fonts, something even more dangerous and potentially costly really needs to be looked at, and that's copyrighted art being circulated. Derivative works are usually protected, as are unaltered images, yet MANY mods are circulated which contain these images... (the last is because as long as people are hot and heavy on the topic, all avenues should be pursued..fat lotta good it does to protect the site and the mod authors from one angle while leaving their flanks unguarded).
I agree that using images and sound files presents another set of challenges. However, I chose to focus on fonts, because unlike images and sound files, the fonts are always being distributed in their entirety and contain metadata that make it relatively easy to determine their copyright status and provenance. Fonts also consist of both code (compiled hinting and instructions) and data (outlines) which puts them squarely in the realm of distributing actual software.
It might be appropriate to start another thread if you wish to discuss the ramifications of fair use for distributing a portion of copyrighted creative works, or for creating original derivative works.
it can be a bit much for work when you're talking about 20-30 fonts...specifically like shared media things.
Nearly all of the fonts currently included in SharedMedia and its various font packs were added one at a time by individual "contributors", so there shouldn't ever really be any need for anyone to check 20-30 fonts in a go. It's kind of ridiculous to have 20-30 fonts in one download anyway; no one person will ever use more than a few, and many of them are quite unreadable at regular text sizes anyway.
At this point, Nandini has already posted an very thorough ticket on the SharedMedia project listing the licensing issues with each font. All of the ones with issues should just be removed, and in the future new fonts should not be accepted unless they are confirmed to be "free".
... When we consider most of the mods aren't getting paid to take their personal time to make the game more enjoyable for others, needing them to do all sorts of research on the legalities of the fonts they include is a bit much...
I don't think it's asking too much. I'm not even an author, and I volunteered dozens of hours of my time to research about 200 fonts so far in 20 addons.
We're talking about authors using someone else's copyrighted creative work (which also happens to be software) in its entirety to enhance their own work. Some of these same authors are even soliciting donations for doing this. This introduces a fundamental conflict that shouldn't just be ignored.
It's also a good opportunity for authors to learn about licensing and distribution choices for their own projects. And if authors find this research to require too much effort, I will gladly volunteer my time to help them.
I made some large changes to SharedMedia localy.
Besides finally dropping support for the old libs and sticking to LSM-3.0 only, I removed all fonts for the moment and added a batch script for MyMedia that will handle the creation of the lua file. Unfortunatly, I'm not allowed to commit a batch script to svn so I'll have to find a solution for that, first.
WRT free fonts, there are lots of pages on the internet, like eg http://www.abstractfonts.com/ , that provide large amounts of free fonts including previews. There are also some pages that help you identify fonts based on some of their characteristics, which can help to find similar looking freeware alternatives for existing fonts.
I'm not allowed to commit a batch script to svn so I'll have to find a solution for that, first.
How about using a perl script for your lua file generation? Though not every windows user would have the ability to run this file it appears the svn server takes them.
A Perl script would not really help, as I seriously doubt anyone who is not able to figure out editing MyMedia.lua on their own has the knowledge or ability to run one. :p
Kaelten, Arrowmaster, Nevcairiel, and probably a few other people can commit batch scripts. Ask one of them on IRC.
Question... what about the Blizzard Fan site kit? My guess is that those fonts would be allowed in addons. Then again, my guess is that those fonts are already in game, and the authors who choose other fonts are doing so due to readability / scalability / compactness?
When I make web applications, I try to stick to the very short list of fonts that most everyone will have... for compatibility reasons. I bet most of us have used the old "<font face='helvetica, arial, sans-serif'>" many, many times.
Of course, I'm a programmer, NOT a very good visual designer, and stick to the minimum interface I can manage. Heck, my preferred font is Courier New. (which I've never distributed anywhere, but bet that I could find the moral equivalent somewhere in WoW.)
Question... what about the Blizzard Fan site kit? My guess is that those fonts would be allowed in addons. Then again, my guess is that those fonts are already in game, and the authors who choose other fonts are doing so due to readability / scalability / compactness.
The WoW Fan Site Kit does not distribute fonts (that I am aware of). It does distribute artwork. A license for using that artwork is supplied in the Kit.
Different localized builds of WoW ship with different fonts. They're all conveniently available in-game to addons that wish to use them.The WoW User Interface Customization Tool purposely does not extract these fonts from the MPQ archives. While it is rather trivial to extract these files manually using third party software, this prevents most users from casually installing these fonts permanently on their computers.
This was probably required in order for Blizzard to license the fonts for "restricted use" by their software, which is relatively cheap compared to "unlimited distribution" with their software. I believe certain builds of WoW (1.2-2.4) may even have contained intentional compression errors (or some other form of encryption) in a few of the font files to prevent their extraction using third party tools.
Thanks for the clarification. I rather thought that the Fan Site thing would not be helpful as it's more meant to let folks making fan sites out of game have some artwork consistent with the Bliz look and feel.
By the way, I was by no means suggesting any deliberate circumvention, merely wondering if the licensing / distribution arrangement allowed for any use relevant to the current discussion. (not that I think you were suggesting I said that, but just clarifying in general)
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- Public Domain Fonts: Like any other computer software or intellectual property, a font's designer may explicitly disclaim ownership of the work (and related copyright rights). Because digital font files have metadata for copyright notices, the designer typically places the words "public domain" in that field to indicate this. "BlackChancery" is one example of an explicit public domain font.
Some other fonts are widely considered to be implicitly public domain property, by virtue of the designer failing to include any copyright notice and distributing the font both publicly and anonymously. An example of an implicit public domain font is "Bazooka". Like other anonymous intellectual property, the designer could assert ownership at a later date if he or she had evidence to support such a claim. However, the designer would not gain any rights over previous usage of his or her work.
- Open License Fonts: Close relatives of public domain fonts are open license or liberally licensed fonts. With these types of fonts, the designer retains copyright ownership of the font, but stipulates additional conditions for specific copyright rights. For example, the designer may allow free use, free distribution, and free creation of derivative works. Sometimes the designer encourage free contribution to the original work, as well.
In exchange, the designer typically requires the font's licensing documentation to accompany it whenever it is distributed. The designer usually picks a standard license to describe these terms. Some examples of fonts and their open licenses are:
- Freeware Fonts: These fonts generally allow free usage for non-commercial (and sometimes also commercial) purposes. However, the designer typically retains all other copyright rights, such as rights for distribution and the creation of derivative works. These fonts typically do not use any "standard" license.
The vast majority of digital fonts you will find on the dozens of "free font" sites on the internet fall into this category. Sometimes these sites are improperly distributing the fonts themselves, so it is important to always read the font's license carefully for permitted usage. Just because some other web site is doing it doesn't mean you should, too.
With public domain fonts, anything goes. As an addon author, you can do anything you want with them. However, it is a common courtesy to provide attribution and credit to the font's designer if it is not anonymous.Digital fonts may also "age" into the public domain under most nations' copyright laws, but we are still about 50 years away from that happening.
Liberation by Red Hat/Ascender: GPL+exception
Libertine by Phillip H. Poll: GPL+exception and OFL
Gentium by SIL: OFL
Waltograph UI by mickeyavenue: CC NCSA
Bitstream Vera by GNOME/Bistream: custom liberal license
DejaVu by Tavmjong Bah/Bitstream: derivative of Bitstream Vera allowed under its custom liberal license
If no license is included with the font, it's generally a good idea to track down the designer. Usually, his or her web site will provide a copy of the font with a license, or give instructions on how to obtain a license for distribution. Just like other computer software, you may also find that the designer has released a newer and better version than the one you currently have.
Open license fonts can generally just be tossed into a folder in your addon with a copy of their licenses. You should still read the license, though, just to be sure. Most open license fonts have licenses that can be read and understood by normal human beings, without need for a law degree.
The trickiest fonts are freeware, since they don't use any kind of standardized license. While they are generally free for an individual to use, it is not always clear whether an addon author may distribute them. In cases where there is no license or where distribution is not mentioned at all in the license, the addon author should probably assume that the designer (or copyright owner) retains that right.
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Curse PremiumJust saw that and did the same with it.
I tried it once...I still broke it, somehow. lol
I thought "you know...you're absolutely right"... Then I reminded myself of two things... Curse Client and WoWI Update Manager. Both third party executables we use to manage our UI's written by "volunteers"...
Edit: Then I remembered there's been numerous times we, as UI users, have freely installed without question, executables for UI's in the form of profilers, database gather and upload clients, etc. for many projects.
*shrugs* was only a thought to make things easier on all concerned...
You also have to copy the font (or make a symbolic link) into the addon.
Actually for fun once I modified my addon install script to update SharedMedia to have a bunch of links to all the activated fonts on my system. Surprisingly it worked okay until I hit an addon with a font selection dropdown that tried to show all the available fonts. As you can imagine (and as I expected) WoW crashed pretty quickly when trying to do that. Not sure if it was a bug in one of the fonts (not that unusual thing), a bug in the renderer (consider the crash trace I got this is actually a possibility), or just too much memory used (I do have a large number of CJK fonts with variant glyphs and advanced opentype support). I wonder how the WoW renderer would handle something like Studio Lettering.
So yes you can break MyMedia if you try. ;)
I'll have a look in my folder, I do remember Phanx' UI font at one point was a paid one (yes, she did state she purchased it, and I believe her). I wanted it too, and found a free one that looked quite similar.
Akzidenz Grotesk. I'm currently using Expressway Free (the one featured in most of Neal's screenshots) though... it's slightly less readable, but has way more of a "Warcraft" flavor. :)
Well, mine was a bit simpler...I think it was with SCT, if I remember. Not only did I not get my alternate list (I tried adding a few fonts), I got NO choices besides the default. I mean, the choices were there, but it wouldn't use them. So, yeah, it's breakable alright if you aren't at least partial LUA-capable (which I'm not). I mean, I did a dirty fix for SMM, but taking out a block of code isn't tough, especially when it's clearly marked. The mod is still partially broken from the last patch.
Edit Back on topic... A list of legally distributable fonts would work, also. When we consider most of the mods aren't getting paid to take their personal time to make the game more enjoyable for others, needing them to do all sorts of research on the legalities of the fonts they include is a bit much...
I mean, has anyone asked Elloria if she's gotten permission from Paramount Studios for her use of the Star Trek game's images in her UI she distributes? They DO have strict copyright laws regarding distributed images from their products and derivative works. If "we" are going to go strict on Fonts, then we should look at copyrighted images, as well as other items (it's a nasty can o' worms, to say the least).
Not really. A basic Google search for the name of the font will usually give you the information you need in under 30 seconds. For example, the font Myriad Pro Semibold Condensed is (or at least was) included in many compilations and even a few addons (MonkeyQuest?). Typing the query font "myriad pro" into Google brings up the Adobe type library page for that font family as the top result. Click on the link, and even a 2-second glance at the resulting page makes it pretty clear that it's not a free font.
Plain and simple, if you choose to redistribute copyrighted material, it is your responsibility to know the laws that govern that activity, and obey them. It's no different than driving a car; most people don't get paid to drive a car, but if you choose to do so, it is your responsibility to buy gasoline, maintain insurance coverage, use your turn signals, obey the speed limit and traffic lights, drive on the correct side of the road, and not run over pedestrians.
The widespread and profound ignorance on the subject of copyright never ceases to amaze me, as does the hostility many people display when informed that they are violating it. :(
What I meant was more of a "list of common fonts that are 'fair game' would be nice to provide to mod authors to make things easier on them and 'you', in the long run." *shrugs*
As to the above, while I agree (of course) that copyright issues should be resolved as quickly as possible especially as with regards to ever greater attention on the sites as distributors of more than just uniquely designed materials, my previous remarks still stand. If "we" are to go so headstrong on fonts, something even more dangerous and potentially costly really needs to be looked at, and that's copyrighted art being circulated. Derivative works are usually protected, as are unaltered images, yet MANY mods are circulated which contain these images... (the last is because as long as people are hot and heavy on the topic, all avenues should be pursued..fat lotta good it does to protect the site and the mod authors from one angle while leaving their flanks unguarded).
It might be appropriate to start another thread if you wish to discuss the ramifications of fair use for distributing a portion of copyrighted creative works, or for creating original derivative works.
Nearly all of the fonts currently included in SharedMedia and its various font packs were added one at a time by individual "contributors", so there shouldn't ever really be any need for anyone to check 20-30 fonts in a go. It's kind of ridiculous to have 20-30 fonts in one download anyway; no one person will ever use more than a few, and many of them are quite unreadable at regular text sizes anyway.
At this point, Nandini has already posted an very thorough ticket on the SharedMedia project listing the licensing issues with each font. All of the ones with issues should just be removed, and in the future new fonts should not be accepted unless they are confirmed to be "free".
I don't think it's asking too much. I'm not even an author, and I volunteered dozens of hours of my time to research about 200 fonts so far in 20 addons.
We're talking about authors using someone else's copyrighted creative work (which also happens to be software) in its entirety to enhance their own work. Some of these same authors are even soliciting donations for doing this. This introduces a fundamental conflict that shouldn't just be ignored.
It's also a good opportunity for authors to learn about licensing and distribution choices for their own projects. And if authors find this research to require too much effort, I will gladly volunteer my time to help them.
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Forum ModeratorBesides finally dropping support for the old libs and sticking to LSM-3.0 only, I removed all fonts for the moment and added a batch script for MyMedia that will handle the creation of the lua file. Unfortunatly, I'm not allowed to commit a batch script to svn so I'll have to find a solution for that, first.
WRT free fonts, there are lots of pages on the internet, like eg http://www.abstractfonts.com/ , that provide large amounts of free fonts including previews. There are also some pages that help you identify fonts based on some of their characteristics, which can help to find similar looking freeware alternatives for existing fonts.
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Curse PremiumKaelten, Arrowmaster, Nevcairiel, and probably a few other people can commit batch scripts. Ask one of them on IRC.
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Curse PremiumWhen I make web applications, I try to stick to the very short list of fonts that most everyone will have... for compatibility reasons. I bet most of us have used the old "<font face='helvetica, arial, sans-serif'>" many, many times.
Of course, I'm a programmer, NOT a very good visual designer, and stick to the minimum interface I can manage. Heck, my preferred font is Courier New. (which I've never distributed anywhere, but bet that I could find the moral equivalent somewhere in WoW.)
Different localized builds of WoW ship with different fonts. They're all conveniently available in-game to addons that wish to use them.The WoW User Interface Customization Tool purposely does not extract these fonts from the MPQ archives. While it is rather trivial to extract these files manually using third party software, this prevents most users from casually installing these fonts permanently on their computers.
This was probably required in order for Blizzard to license the fonts for "restricted use" by their software, which is relatively cheap compared to "unlimited distribution" with their software. I believe certain builds of WoW (1.2-2.4) may even have contained intentional compression errors (or some other form of encryption) in a few of the font files to prevent their extraction using third party tools.
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Curse PremiumThanks for the clarification. I rather thought that the Fan Site thing would not be helpful as it's more meant to let folks making fan sites out of game have some artwork consistent with the Bliz look and feel.
By the way, I was by no means suggesting any deliberate circumvention, merely wondering if the licensing / distribution arrangement allowed for any use relevant to the current discussion. (not that I think you were suggesting I said that, but just clarifying in general)