On 12/29/2011 01:59 PM, Alina Laue wrote:

Hi GIMP!

I have a problem, and i think your the only ones who can give me the right answer...
-Everybody telling me it's legally and free to download brushes from the internet. (example :
http://browse.deviantart.com/resources/applications/gimpbrushes/ ) Maybe it's just because i'm a kind of 'new in GIMP', that I find it suspecius?

I really hope you can help me, cause i haven't got a clue about all this, but i really want to know something more!

I'm sorry for my bad english!

Kind regards from Alina, - from Denmark

Alina_tulle@hotmail.com

Gimp is itself completely free, you can download it from anywhere, and you can even sell it...

The case of Gimp resources, such as brushes or patterns produced by individuals may be different, but most of what I see available on the net is indeed free (and when it's not, it's usually clearly labeled as such). However, in that specific case, since the dinosaurs are an adaptation of a clipart, it really depends on the status if the clipart, there could be a copyright infringement afoot (but you can ask the author)(on the other hand, since this is clearly stated, this could be legitimate). The hearts are likely fully original art and so are very likely OK.

There are also free fonts that you can use without guilt (see dafont.com, in particular).

Just enjoy

On 12/30/2011 04:14 PM, Ofnuts wrote:

On 12/29/2011 01:59 PM, Alina Laue wrote:

Hi GIMP!

I have a problem, and i think your the only ones who can give me the right answer...
-Everybody telling me it's legally and free to download brushes from the internet. (example
: http://browse.deviantart.com/resources/applications/gimpbrushes/ ) Maybe it's just because i'm a kind of 'new in GIMP', that I find it suspecius?

There are also free fonts that you can use without guilt (see dafont.com, in particular).

Just enjoy

Hai guise,

Beware of "free download" fonts. A lot of the fonts on the big sites are under "all rights reserved" copyright. I once had an employer who was a "font Nazi": He insisted on documenting the terms of use on every font installed on every machine in the shop, because a couple of years earlier he was raided by the BSA and had to pay a couple of thousand dollars to get out from under them. All the software in the shop was "legal" but many of the fonts on the machines were not.

That does not mean "never download a font." But it is a very good idea to check the copyright and terms of use on every font you do download. This is often spelled out in a text file that comes in a zip file with the font. In other cases it may be necessary to hunt down the author's website, if any.

I don't have the links handy but if you add the terms +gpl and "creative commons" (with the quotes) when you search for font sources, what you find will mostly be easy to verify as free for all personal and commercial uses.

If you want a whole bunch of brushes for the GIMP, here's the set I am using now:

http://pilobilus.net/xfer/brushes.zip

That's a 5 MB file, with the full standard GIMP brush set, plus nearly all of the extra brushes I have picked up over the years. There are a couple of "readme" text files in the archive, read them for terms and conditions on a few of the brushes in the collection (the author of one set wants you to mention his name when they are used). The rest I will not "warrant" as free of copyright encumberances, but I will say that I was careful to check when I was acquiring them and "odds are" you will have no problems.

Especially since the BSA does not know what the GIMP is or what the .gbr file extension means.

:o)

Steve

BTW I will leave the archive up on my site for a week or so.

On Fri, Dec 30, 2011 at 6:37 PM, Steve Kinney wrote:

Beware of "free download" fonts.

Dafont.com is a good source for truly free fonts.

Some are marked "Personal Use Only", however this is almost unenforceable*.

The whole area of typeface licensing is murky as hell. For example, I have a fully-licensed copy of "Akzidenz-Grotesk Pro" - but that is a typeface originally designed in the 1890s and in no sane society should require any sort of license! And then there are all the knock-offs: due to a quirk in the laws* concerning typefaces, one can extract the glyphs, create a new font with those glyphs, and then distribute it. The 'README' in the font's zip file may or may not be truth. In short: tracking the legality of a specific typeface is hellish at best, and sometimes near-impossible.

I try to spend my time designing these days, and not worrying about font licenses. Out of necessity, I have several large commercial libraries - but I try to use free fonts whenever possible. I also use free (open source) software whenever possible - but again, out of necessity, I also use Adobe's products as well (those are licensed too, in case any of the jack-boots of the BSA are reading).

The BSA only needs an excuse - if they raid you, they WILL find a violation. So kids: encrypt your hard drives and keep your heads down ;)

Chris

*IANAL, this is not legal advice ;)

PS - the BSA is the most compelling argument I've ever seen for running an all-linux shop ;) Ask Ernie Ball about them sometime...

On 12/30/2011 07:37 PM, Steve Kinney wrote:

On 12/30/2011 04:14 PM, Ofnuts wrote:

Hai guise,

Beware of "free download" fonts. A lot of the fonts on the big sites are under "all rights reserved" copyright. I once had an employer who was a "font Nazi": He insisted on documenting the terms of use on every font installed on every machine in the shop, because a couple of years earlier he was raided by the BSA and had to pay a couple of thousand dollars to get out from under them. All the software in the shop was "legal" but many of the fonts on the machines were not.

That does not mean "never download a font." But it is a very good idea to check the copyright and terms of use on every font you do download. This is often spelled out in a text file that comes in a zip file with the font. In other cases it may be necessary to hunt down the author's website, if any.

I don't have the links handy but if you add the terms +gpl and "creative commons" (with the quotes) when you search for font sources, what you find will mostly be easy to verify as free for all personal and commercial uses.

If you want a whole bunch of brushes for the GIMP, here's the set I am using now:

http://pilobilus.net/xfer/brushes.zip

That's a 5 MB file, with the full standard GIMP brush set, plus nearly all of the extra brushes I have picked up over the years. There are a couple of "readme" text files in the archive, read them for terms and conditions on a few of the brushes in the collection (the author of one set wants you to mention his name when they are used). The rest I will not "warrant" as free of copyright encumberances, but I will say that I was careful to check when I was acquiring them and "odds are" you will have no problems.

Especially since the BSA does not know what the GIMP is or what the .gbr file extension means.

:o)

Steve

BTW I will leave the archive up on my site for a week or so.

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On another side note, while the whole "tagging" resources in 2.8 is a step in the correct direction, I STILL think the best long term direction for GIMP resource management would be a folder/subfolder approach. Personally, I use GURM( http://registry.gimp.org/node/13473) to manage my resources(brushes, patterns, etc) since it allows me to keep resources in their own folder AND any license information stays with the resource(some people have even put their license information as a .png to make it easier to say inside of GIMP and still view the license).

Side note two: typically creators of artwork always retain copyright, but LICENSE the use of the artwork for specific uses. In general, you as a use NEVER get copyright to something, but are granted License to use that something for some purpose or another. I do some work on the CartographersGuild, and while there are many map making brushes available you have to be very carefl, because some brushes may "free", but their license may or may not allow commercial use. Ie, one brush pack I might only be allowed to use for personal stuff only(but I can't do any commissioned work with these), while different brush pack may allow just about any use (including being used in commercial work) as long as I credit the source. In other words, just carefully read the license, abide by the terms, and don't assume any "freedom" in use of the resources beyond what the license explicitly states.

Alina Laue wrote:

Kind regards from Alina, - from Denmark

Alina,

One of the areas of law where there is least conformity between jurisdictions is in the area if intellectual property, which includes copyright. The answers to your post seem to be mostly from the US, and in my experience may be significantly not in conformity with the intellectual property laws of the EU. I would caution you to get competent legal advice in your own jurisdiction, or in the jurisdiction in which you propose to engage in commercial activity.

An example of the difference: in the US, a typeface cannot be copyrighted; in the EU it can. OTH, in the US, a digital representation of a typeface has been held to be a computer program, and thus eligible for copyright protection.

ns