From: Ernest Cline (ernestcline@mindspring.com)
Date: Mon Mar 15 2004 - 22:37:04 EST
> [Original Message]
> From: C J Fynn <cfynn@gmx.net>
>
> I thought to get a patent you were supposed to invent something new and
not
> obvious.
>
> Other than the shape of the letters (which are apparently derivative)
what is
> novel about a script which doesn't have complex shaping behaviour
(whether for
> writing Arabic or any other language) ?
>
> I can understand someone claiming copyright for the design or shape of
letters
> if they are unique - but nothing else in this seems like an "invention".
It is
> little different from representing Arabic letters by their Unicode code
> values - or any other unique symbol for each letter.
In this case, I think that altho each of the parts is derivative, the
unique idea
he had was putting them together in a way that was not obvious until
it was described by him.
Given the documentation in the patent and the Arabetics website,
all this might do is complicate the life of font designers until August 2019
when the patent expires in the US. By securing a general patent in addition
to an ordinary Design patent, Mr Abulhab has managed to get an extra
six years of patent protection for his fonts, but that is about it. Since
I doubt
that his fonts or those generated upon his principles will be popular,
it looks like it a storm in a teakettle. I don't think it will be easy for
others
to make similar claims for their font and even if they do, it will only add
another six years to the patent period.
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