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OFL FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about the SIL Open Font License (OFL)
Version 1.1-update3 - Sept 2013
(See http://scripts.sil.org/OFL for updates)
CONTENTS OF THIS FAQ
1 USING AND DISTRIBUTING FONTS LICENSED UNDER THE OFL
2 USING OFL FONTS FOR WEB PAGES AND ONLINE WEB FONT SERVICES
3 MODIFYING OFL-LICENSED FONTS
4 LICENSING YOUR ORIGINAL FONTS UNDER THE OFL
5 CHOOSING RESERVED FONT NAMES
6 ABOUT THE FONTLOG
7 MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS TO OFL PROJECTS
8 ABOUT THE LICENSE ITSELF
9 ABOUT SIL INTERNATIONAL
APPENDIX A - FONTLOG EXAMPLE
1 USING AND DISTRIBUTING FONTS LICENSED UNDER THE OFL
1.1 Can I use the fonts for a book or other print publication, to create logos or other graphics or even to manufacture objects based on their outlines?
Yes. You are very welcome to do so. Authors of fonts released under the OFL allow you to use their font software as such for any kind of design work. No additional license or permission is required, unlike with some other licenses. Some examples of these uses are: logos, posters, business cards, stationery, video titling, signage, t-shirts, personalised fabric, 3D-printed/laser-cut shapes, sculptures, rubber stamps, cookie cutters and lead type.
1.1.1 Does that restrict the license or distribution of that artwork?
No. You remain the author and copyright holder of that newly derived graphic or object. You are simply using an open font in the design process. It is only when you redistribute, bundle or modify the font itself that other conditions of the license have to be respected (see below for more details).
1.1.2 Is any kind of acknowledgement required?
No. Font authors may appreciate being mentioned in your artwork's acknowledgements alongside the name of the font, possibly with a link to their website, but that is not required.
1.2 Can the fonts be included with Free/Libre and Open Source Software collections such as GNU/Linux and BSD distributions and repositories?
Yes! Fonts licensed under the OFL can be freely included alongside other software under FLOSS (Free/Libre and Open Source Software) licenses. Since fonts are typically aggregated with, not merged into, existing software, there is little need to be concerned about incompatibility with existing software licenses. You may also repackage the fonts and the accompanying components in a .rpm or .deb package (or other similar package formats or installers) and include them in distribution CD/DVDs and online repositories. (Also see section 5.9 about rebuilding from source.)
1.3 I want to distribute the fonts with my program. Does this mean my program also has to be Free/Libre and Open Source Software?
No. Only the portions based on the Font Software are required to be released under the OFL. The intent of the license is to allow aggregation or bundling with software under restricted licensing as well.
1.4 Can I sell a software package that includes these fonts?
Yes, you can do this with both the Original Version and a Modified Version of the fonts. Examples of bundling made possible by the OFL would include: word processors, design and publishing applications, training and educational software, games and entertainment software, mobile device applications, etc.
1.5 Can I include the fonts on a CD of freeware or commercial fonts?
Yes, as long some other font or software is also on the disk, so the OFL font is not sold by itself.
1.6 Why won't the OFL let me sell the fonts alone?
The intent is to keep people from making money by simply redistributing the fonts. The only people who ought to profit directly from the fonts should be the original authors, and those authors have kindly given up potential direct income to distribute their fonts under the OFL. Please honour and respect their contribution!
1.7 What about sharing OFL fonts with friends on a CD, DVD or USB stick?
You are very welcome to share open fonts with friends, family and colleagues through removable media. Just remember to include the full font package, including any copyright notices and licensing information as available in OFL.txt. In the case where you sell the font, it has to come bundled with software.
1.8 Can I host the fonts on a web site for others to use?
Yes, as long as you make the full font package available. In most cases it may be best to point users to the main site that distributes the Original Version so they always get the most recent stable and complete version. See also discussion of web fonts in Section 2.
1.9 Can I host the fonts on a server for use over our internal network?
Yes. If the fonts are transferred from the server to the client computer by means that allow them to be used even if the computer is no longer attached to the network, the full package (copyright notices, licensing information, etc.) should be included.
1.10 Does the full OFL license text always need to accompany the font?
The only situation in which an OFL font can be distributed without the text of the OFL (either in a separate file or in font metadata), is when a font is embedded in a document or bundled within a program. In the case of metadata included within a font, it is legally sufficient to include only a link to the text of the OFL on http://scripts.sil.org/OFL, but we strongly recommend against this. Most modern font formats include metadata fields that will accept the full OFL text, and full inclusion increases the likelihood that users will understand and properly apply the license.
1.11 What do you mean by 'embedding'? How does that differ from other means of distribution?
By 'embedding' we mean inclusion of the font in a document or file in a way that makes extraction (and redistribution) difficult or clearly discouraged. In many cases the names of embedded fonts might also not be obvious to those reading the document, the font data format might be altered, and only a subset of the font - only the glyphs required for the text - might be included. Any other means of delivering a font to another person is considered 'distribution', and needs to be accompanied by any copyright notices and licensing information available in OFL.txt.
1.12 So can I embed OFL fonts in my document?
Yes, either in full or a subset. The restrictions regarding font modification and redistribution do not apply, as the font is not intended for use outside the document.
1.13 Does embedding alter the license of the document itself?
No. Referencing or embedding an OFL font in any document does not change the license of the document itself. The requirement for fonts to remain under the OFL does not apply to any document created using the fonts and their derivatives. Similarly, creating any kind of graphic using a font under OFL does not make the resulting artwork subject to the OFL.
1.14 If OFL fonts are extracted from a document in which they are embedded (such as a PDF file), what can be done with them? Is this a risk to author(s)?
The few utilities that can extract fonts embedded in a PDF will typically output limited amounts of outlines - not a complete font. To create a working font from this method is much more difficult and time consuming than finding the source of the original OFL font. So there is little chance that an OFL font would be extracted and redistributed inappropriately through this method. Even so, copyright laws address any misrepresentation of authorship. All Font Software released under the OFL and marked as such by the author(s) is intended to remain under this license regardless of the distribution method, and cannot be redistributed under any other license. We strongly discourage any font extraction - we recommend directly using the font sources instead - but if you extract font outlines from a document, please be considerate: respect the work of the author(s) and the licensing model.
1.15 What about distributing fonts with a document? Within a compressed folder structure? Is it distribution, bundling or embedding?
Certain document formats may allow the inclusion of an unmodified font within their file structure which may consist of a compressed folder containing the var |