Why Typefaces Proliferate Without Copyright Protection

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 426 I. THE IP PROTECTION OF TYPEFACE DESIGNS ...................... 430 A. Typeface Designs are Unprotected by IP, and Are Likely to Remain So ............................................................................ 432 B. Computer Fonts Are (Probably) Protected By Copyright ......... 437 C. The Protection of Computer Fonts Does Not Prevent Typeface Designs From Being Copied .................................... 439 D. Despite a Lack of IP Protection, Typefaces Proliferate ............. 443 II. THE MECHANISMS OF INNOVATION ...................................... 446 A. Functionality, Rivalrousness, and Innovation ........................ 447 B. How Technology Affects Innovation in Typeface Design ......... 449 1. Technology Forces Innovation ...................................... 450 2. At the Same Time, Technology Makes Innovation Possible .......................................................................... 453 C. Industry Norms ..................................................................... 457 1. General Theories of Norms Applicable to Typeface Design ........................................................................... 458 2. Industry Norms in Other Open Areas of IP Law ......... 461 3. Norms in the Type Design Industry ............................. 463 4. Plagiarism and the Excludability of Typeface Designs .......................................................................... 469 D. Aesthetic Movements and Fashion Cycles ............................... 472 1. The Susceptibility of Display Faces to Fashion Cycles ............................................................................ 474