GPL font exception: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Optional clause for the GNU General Public License}}

{{Infobox software license

| image = [[File:GPL+FE (GNU GPL with Font Exception).svg|200px]]

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The '''GPL font exception''' clause (or GPL+FE, for short) is an optional clause that can be added to the [[GNU General Public License]] (GNU GPL) permitting [[digital font]]s shared with that license to be embedded within a [[electronic document|digital document]] [[computer file|file]] without requiring the document itself to also be shared with GPL. Without the clause, conflicts may arise with open-source projects distributing digital fonts which may be used in [[desktop publishing]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Legal Considerations for fonts|url=http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Legal_considerations_for_fonts#allow-embedding|website=Fedora Project|access-date=5 June 2015}}</ref> As explained by Dave Crossland in ''[[Libre Graphics Magazine,]]'': "A [[copyleft]] font may overreach into the documents that use it, unless an exception is made to the normal terms; an additional permission to allow people to combine parts of a font with a document without affecting the license of texts, photographs, illustrations and designs. Most libre fonts today have such a copyleft license – the [[SIL Open Font License|SIL OFL]] or GNU GPL with the Font Exception described in the GPL FAQ."<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Crossland|first1=Dave|title=Copyleft Business|journal=Libre Graphics Magazine|date=2011|volume=1|issue=2|pages=12–13|url=http://libregraphicsmag.com/files/libregraphicsmag_1.2_lowquality.pdf|access-date=5 June 2015}}</ref>

== Origin ==

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== Usage ==

To indicate a font exception to the GPL, a digital font creator adds the following language to the end of the GPL text distributed with their font:<ref>{{cite web|title=GPL FAQ|url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#FontException|website=GNU.org|access-date=5 June 2015}}</ref>

::"<blockquote>As a special exception, if you create a document which uses this font, and embed this font or unaltered portions of this font into the document, this font does not by itself cause the resulting document to be covered by the GNU General Public License. This exception does not however invalidate any other reasons why the document might be covered by the GNU General Public License. If you modify this font, you may extend this exception to your version of the font, but you are not obligated to do so. If you do not wish to do so, delete this exception statement from your version."<ref>{{cite web|title=GPL FAQ|url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#FontException|website=GNU.org|access-date=5 June 2015}}</refblockquote>

== See also ==