3 ms·

Bitmap fonts may not be copyrightable (in the US at least) due to a quirk of copyright law: https://www.crowdspring.com/blog/font-law-licensing/ https://www.cr

Bitmap fonts may not be copyrightable (in the US at least) due to a quirk of copyright law: https://www.crowdspring.com/blog/font-law-licensing/ https://www.crowdspring.com/blog/font-law-licensing/ > Generally, copyright law in the U.S. does not protect typefaces. > Fonts may be protected as long as the font qualifies as computer software or a program (and in fact, most fonts are programs or software). > Bitmapped fonts are considered to be computerized representations of a typeface (and are not protected by copyright law). > On the other hand, scalable fonts (because they are incorporated as part of a program or software) are protected by copyright.

tenebrisalietum 6y ago
This would explain why that 8-bit arcade font (it's in numerous Namco and Atari games) that's everywhere in 70's and 80's arcade games was everywhere.
- badsectoracula 6y ago
  Well also there aren't that many ways to make a legible font using 8x8 (actually less, for spacing) pixels :-P
  - tenebrisalietum 6y ago
    That font has some unique characteristics (such as the lopsided S and 8). It's not like the Signetics based font from Apple I/II which is very basic, for example. Also if you look at all the ways letters and numbers have been drawn in C-64, NES, Genesis, and SNES games; there's lots of room for creativity and design even in an 8x8 space.
    - reaperducer 6y ago
      FWIW, the reason all of the vertical elements in the C-64 font are two pixels wide is to compensate for raster blur on televisions that were common at the time. If you made a vertical line only one pixel wide, on many televisions like the Panasonic I used it would be nearly impossible to see. And while color monitors of the day were an improvement, they still weren't what we would consider acceptable today. I eventually upgraded to a Commodore CM-141, and single pixel vertical lines still weren't great.
  - cardiffspaceman 6y ago
    I made an 8x8 font that was inspired by Broadway [1] and it ended up in most of the company's video gaming machines back in the 80's. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_(typeface) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_(typeface)
    - pixelambacht 6y ago
      Don't leave us hanging! Tell us more, which games, which company?
- tompagenet2 6y ago
  I thought the same, but this book [0] absolutely staggered me by the creative ways people made 8 by 8 fonts [0]: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arcade-Game-Typography-Pixel-Type/dp/0500021740/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arcade-Game-Typography-Pixel-Type/d...
  - dhosek 6y ago
    I used to sketch 8x8 bitmap fonts on graph paper using circles four to a square when I was in junior high. I spent a lot of time trying different combinations.

tenebrisalietum 6y ago

This would explain why that 8-bit arcade font (it's in numerous Namco and Atari games) that's everywhere in 70's and 80's arcade games was everywhere.

badsectoracula 6y ago
Well also there aren't that many ways to make a legible font using 8x8 (actually less, for spacing) pixels :-P
- tenebrisalietum 6y ago
  That font has some unique characteristics (such as the lopsided S and 8). It's not like the Signetics based font from Apple I/II which is very basic, for example. Also if you look at all the ways letters and numbers have been drawn in C-64, NES, Genesis, and SNES games; there's lots of room for creativity and design even in an 8x8 space.
  - reaperducer 6y ago
    FWIW, the reason all of the vertical elements in the C-64 font are two pixels wide is to compensate for raster blur on televisions that were common at the time. If you made a vertical line only one pixel wide, on many televisions like the Panasonic I used it would be nearly impossible to see. And while color monitors of the day were an improvement, they still weren't what we would consider acceptable today. I eventually upgraded to a Commodore CM-141, and single pixel vertical lines still weren't great.
- cardiffspaceman 6y ago
  I made an 8x8 font that was inspired by Broadway [1] and it ended up in most of the company's video gaming machines back in the 80's. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_(typeface) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_(typeface)
  - pixelambacht 6y ago
    Don't leave us hanging! Tell us more, which games, which company?
tompagenet2 6y ago
I thought the same, but this book [0] absolutely staggered me by the creative ways people made 8 by 8 fonts [0]: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arcade-Game-Typography-Pixel-Type/dp/0500021740/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arcade-Game-Typography-Pixel-Type/d...
- dhosek 6y ago
  I used to sketch 8x8 bitmap fonts on graph paper using circles four to a square when I was in junior high. I spent a lot of time trying different combinations.