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googlefonts__metadata__reserved_font_name

Simon Cozens edited this page May 8, 2025 · 1 revision

Copyright notice on METADATA.pb should not contain 'Reserved Font Name'.

googlefonts/metadata/reserved_font_name

  • Applies to: TTF
  • Fontspector can hotfix?: no
  • Fontspector can fix sources?: no

Rationale

Unless an exception has been granted, we expect fonts on Google Fonts not to use the "Reserved Font Name" clause in their copyright information. This is because fonts with RFNs are difficult to modify in a libre ecosystem; anyone who forks the font (with a view to changing it) must first rename the font, which makes it difficult to pass changes back to upstream.

There is also a potential licensing difficulty, in that Google Fonts web service subsets the font - a modification of the original - but then delivers the font with the same name, which could be seen as a violation of the reserved font name clause.

Proposal

Profiles

  • googlefonts (in section 'Licensing Checks')

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