Do I need to change font names if changing the file format?

SIL Fonts
1

I currently have some fonts under the SIL license in .otf and .ttf formats. I plan on changing the format to be a web format.

The SIL license states that “No Modified Version of the Font Software may use the Reserved Font Name(s) unless explicit written permission is granted by the corresponding Copyright Holder. This restriction only applies to the primary font name as presented to the users.” I am changing the font software (set of files released by the Copyright Holder) from their original file extension to a different file extension. Do I need to change the name of the font since the font software has been modified?

I want to respect the artist’s work by upholding to the license.

2

Hey,

I apologize if I misunderstood your question, but I believe that your specific question about creating a WOFF or WOFF2 (I’m assuming) is covered in Section 2.2 of the OFL FAQ at: https://scripts.sil.org/cms/scripts/page.php?item_id=OFL-FAQ_web#1db14da7

It states that you may create the web format file and keep the RFN(s) as long as:

  • the original font data remains unchanged except for WOFF compression, and
  • WOFF-specific metadata is either omitted altogether or present and includes, unaltered, the contents of all equivalent metadata in the original font.

The section goes into more detail about how to make sure you’re complying with these restrictions.

Abe

Edit:

I would also consider reading this post:

https://scripts.sil.org/cms/scripts/page.php?site_id=nrsi&id=OFL_web_fonts_and_RFNs#65c455c5

3

Thank you for the quick reply and the informative response!

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