[Fontconfig] Using MS licenses

Benjamin Rossen
Mon, 21 Nov 2005 08:51:02 -0000

As I understand it (please correct me if I am wrong) these fonts are not
included in GNU/Linux and other Open Source distrubutions because of
licensing issues. Presumably, the each distribution should be clean, in the
sense that it should only include material that falls under the license used
by that distribution. However, if Debian automatically installs these from
the web, then it is effectively including them in the distribution. That
seems strange to me.

Is there some fine legal distinction here which I do not understand? Why
shouldn'' t Debian just include the fonts in the distribution? Since we
know
that there is a Microsoft License attached to these fonts, presumably the
user must get a warning before these are installed; something like:
"About to install Microsoft Web Fonts. Please read the license and press
agree
to continue, or skip ... etc."

I am using Red Hat and Mandrake, so I do not know what Debian does. If this is
the procedure, then what is the difference between including these in the
distribution, and taking them from the web?

Benjamin Rossen


On Tuesday 11 January 2005 13:39, Juliusz Chroboczek
wrote:
> > [The Microsoft Core Fonts] can''t be included in a Linux
distribution,
> > but anyone can make them available for free as long as the license
> > is obeyed.
>
> AFAIK, they can be distributed, but only verbatim.  Hence, a Linux
> distribution could include them, but would have to cabextract them on
> the fly.
>
> If you''re using Debian, the msttcorefonts package will
automatically
> grab them off the web and configure your system to use them.
>
>                                         Juliusz
>
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