GPL font exception

GPL font exception
A community generated icon for the GPL+FE
AuthorDavid "Novalis" Turner
PublisherFree Software Foundation
PublishedApril 20, 2005; 19 years ago (2005-04-20)
SPDX identifierFont-exception-2.0
FSF approvedYes
GPL compatibleYes
CopyleftYes
Websitewww.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#FontException Edit this on Wikidata

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 fonts shared with that license to be embedded within a digital document 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.[1] 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 OFL or GNU GPL with the Font Exception described in the GPL FAQ."[2]

  1. ^ "Legal Considerations for fonts". Fedora Project. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  2. ^ Crossland, Dave (2011). "Copyleft Business" (PDF). Libre Graphics Magazine. 1 (2): 12–13. Retrieved 5 June 2015.