BoingBoing reader Paul Vallee says,
I was reading this interesting story about a new font being developed for use on roadsigns and with likely broad applications in general legibility. It turns out, disappointingly, that this font is not going to appear in the public domain and is thus not available for download. The reason is that the project is not pubclically administered, rather it is a joint venture between the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and several University and private entities. Looks like the copyright for the font remains in private hands, namely Meeker & Associates Inc. and Terminal Design Inc. You can buy the fontface online but it doesn't come cheap!
Link. Also see: Clearview website with abundant type-geekery: Link, and a spirited discussion here: Link. (Thanks, Oscar Bartos)
Pho list cofounder Jim Griffin says,
Fonts are not copyrightable. Fonts receive no protection under U.S. Copyright law, no matter what font purveyors tell you. It pisses them off, but it's true: Typefaces are not properly the subject of copyright.
Reader Spencer Cross says,
Mr. Griffin's claims about typeface copyrightability are an extreme oversimplification of a very contentious issue. On the same site he's referencing (typeright.org via about.com), you'll find another article about a US District Court judge affirming the copyrightability of font outlines. As with any copyright issue, it's not as cut and dried as we wish it were.
Likewise, I wanted to mention that I think it's interesting that we seem to be assuming that the typeface should be in the public domain because it's being used for highway signage. I'll withold judgement on that idea, but I think it's worth thinking about whether it's the conclusion to which we should leap without deeper thinking.
