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LUC DEVROYE


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An article on software piracy, from which I quote: Research for the Business Software Alliance, conducted by analysts at IDC, found that 35% new software installed was pirated in 2004. [...] Julie Strawson, marketing manager at Monotype Imaging, a software company in Surrey, said: Although fonts may seem very simple, type designers train for many years and the creation of a typeface is a pain-staking process that requires acute attention to detail. Without the appropriate deterrents in place, many users will continue to believe it is acceptable practice to copy fonts. Unless the creators receive their royalties, they will stop creating. The employers organisation, the Confederation of British Industry, said using pirated software often contained viruses that could disrupt employers work. Dr Jeremy Beale, head of eBusiness at the CBI, said: Companies must ensure their software is licensed and up to date to avoid business disruption caused by viruses, spyware and other pernicious software that is often inserted in pirated copies of the genuine article. Excuse me! Here is a point-by-point rebuttal:

  • The creation of typefaces is to software what the painting of a mural is to a digital photograph or what the filming of a movie is to a DVD. The font creation process may result in a drawing on paper or a poster, for example. The creation of typefaces is none of the Business Software Alliance's business.
  • Digital typefaces are nothing more than electronic data. It is not software.
  • Creators will keep creating, no matter what.
  • "Pirated" software does not usually contain viruses or spyware. Most often, a "pirated" software product is a clean and good copy of the original.
  • Monotype Imaging should be the last outfit to cry foul. Agfa/Monotype published Book Antiqua, a copy of Palatino, against the wishes of Hermann Zapf. Despite hundreds of protests from the font world, it keeps on selling this font family. So, as Julie Strawson puts it herself, many users [Monotype included, I guess] will continue to believe it is acceptable practice to copy fonts.

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Luc Devroye ⦿ School of Computer Science ⦿ McGill University Montreal, Canada H3A 2K6 ⦿ lucdevroye@gmail.com ⦿ http://luc.devroye.org ⦿ http://luc.devroye.org/fonts.html