Re: VMs: "De Aequilibriatis Mundi"

[Walter Ogburn <ogburn@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I think the Aequilibriatis Mundi page is an item of fan fiction, not fraud.  
It seems to be intended in the same vein as the Pacific Northwest Tree 
Octopus:

http://www.zapatopi.net/treeoctopus.html

As a side note, copyright for fonts is a complicated issue.  It is an oddity 
of US copyright law that it excludes typefaces.  The files that define a 
computer font *may* be eligible for some degree of copyright, as software.  
An image or document written using a particular typeface doesn't appear to 
require any sort of license from the author.  Typefaces may be covered by 
design patents, but these aren't automatic as copyrights are.  In many other 
countries, the typefaces themselves are eligible for copyright, but that 
copyright monopoly doesn't seem to restrict using the fonts to produce 
documents.  For instance, here is the relevant section of UK copyright law:

	"54.â(1) It is not an infringement of copyright in an artistic work
	consisting of the design of a typefaceâ

		(a) to use the typeface in the ordinary course of typing, composing text,
		typesetting or printing,

		(b) to possess an article for the purpose of such use, or

		(c) to do anything in relation to material produced by such use;

	and this is so notwithstanding that an article is used which is an infringing
	copy of the work.

My point is just that you have to be careful about what is and is not covered 
by copyright monopolies.  As far as I can tell, _using_ (as opposed to 
copying) fonts is generally not covered.

- Walter



On Friday 25 February 2005 06:41 am, Pamela Richards wrote:
> Hello, KM
>
> You raise an interesting point.  Is EVA script
> copyrighted?
>
> Nonsense?  A little worse than that, I think.  If they
> are selling these items, I imagine they need to be
> very careful to avoid charges of fraud.  The page
> appears to have been published by  a writer's group.
> Perhaps they can explain themselves on the basis of a
> joke or a hoax, or whatever--and maybe they can get
> around charges of fraud if they refuse to collect any
> money for copies of this "mystery document", and when
> requested, explain their intentions instead.  As for
> supervision, I seriously doubt there is such a
> "college".
>
> Warmly,
>
> Pam
>
> --- Knox Mix <knoxmix@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > Pamela Richards wrote:
> > > Dana and all,
> > >
> > > I wonder if this page was published before or
> >
> > after
> >
> > > Ruggs' article came out.  Perhaps this level of
> > > scholarship represents the heritage of the Ruggs
> > > hypothesis.  How much is this "college" charging
> >
> > for
> >
> > > copies of its mysterious manuscript, I wonder?
> > >
> > > Hmmm.
> > >
> > > Warmly,
> > >
> > > Pam
> >
> > I am surprised it is given permission to use Eva
> > Hand font for such
> > nonsense.
> >
> > KM
>
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> =====
> "I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing, than to teach ten thousand
> stars how not to dance."
>
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