Free Font Helps People With Dyslexia 151
Thornburg writes "There is a free font available which has been designed to make it easier for people with dyslexia to read. DailyTech has a piece which pulls together a BBC interview and blog postings by the designer, Abelardo Gonzalez, who received a C&D letter from another font designer who charges $69 for his dyslexia related font."
Uhhh well, shit. (Score:5, Informative)
Never thought I had dyslexia, never imagined I had problems reading, but holy crap reading a page in anti-dyslexia fonts like this one http://www.pixelscript.net/gilldyslexic/ is like all the words leap off the page making sudden sense in an instant.
*random expression of surprise at finding something new at age 44*
US: fonts not protected / font files are (Score:3, Informative)
see, that's were the misunderstanding lies: wikipedia summarises quite well:
Under U.S. law, typefaces and the characters they contain are considered to be utilitarian objects whose utility outweighs any merit that may exist in protecting their creative elements. Typefaces are exempt from copyright protection in the United States (Code of Federal Regulations, Ch 37, Sec. 202.1(e); Eltra Corp. vs. Ringer). However, this finding was limited in Adobe Systems, Inc. v. Southern Software, Inc., wherein it was held that scalable computer fonts, i.e., the instructions necessary to render a typeface, constitute a "computer program" for the purposes of copyright law and hence are subject to protection. Hence the computer file(s) associated with a scalable font will generally be protected even though the specific design of the characters is not.
So in the US I would assume Boers has not claim, but you still can not distribute those CDs :)
Let me clarify (Score:3, Informative)
The typeface design isn't copyrightable, the specification of that typeface *is* copyrightable. This is like saying a classical piece of music isn't copyrightable, but a recording of the BBC Symphonic Orchestra playing the classical piece *is*.
So if you printed and traced the typeface, even if the design is identical, as long as the control points, rendering hints etc. aren't the same it's not an infringement. The font file is different, the copyrightable parts are different.
Then to Christian Boers 'moral' claim.
Christian Boer certainly based his Dyslexia typeface on other typefaces and he has no more moral claim to it than you do. He did exactly what you did, took an existing typeface and played with it. Only he used the work of other for his personal profit, not for a good cause. So his claim is morally lower than yours.
He's a parasite, he copies others work, then claims special rights to it. Unlike Apple's he's capable of fooling lots of people, he'll just go away and good riddance to him.
Re:Uhhh well, shit. (Score:5, Informative)
Eulexics prefer simple and clean sans-serifs over the spectrum from serifs to ornamental. This font distracts by its irregular features (especially noticeable in g and p).
The same applies on a larger scale where eulexics prefer undecorated text over the highlighted, underscored, colored and fontful, and a white sheet over magazine style.
Apparently dyslexics need variety, while eulexics prefer uniformity. Interesting.
Re:Uhhh well a different view... (Score:5, Informative)
Probably replying to a troll, but anyway:
As a teacher, I can tell you that dyslexia is definitely not "an excuse". A pupil with dyslexia has been a member of my tutor group for the last four years. He struggles with reading, although use of a reading ruler [thedyslexiashop.co.uk] is of tremendous help. His handwriting is difficult to decipher, and contains many mirrored letters (e.g. b/d, p/q, backwards s). However that difficulty aside he is one of the most intelligent and articulate 16-year-old's I have had the pleasure of teaching.