[libreplanet-discuss] Properly attributing free fonts?

[Pen-Yuan Hsing]

Hello again,

As I understand it, fonts also fall under the realm of what free 
software cares about. (please correct me if I'm wrong!)

Regarding that, I notice that in almost all cases, software (or any 
other material like documents or posters) don't provide attribution for 
the fonts they used. Is this normal? Or is this a matter of which 
license the font uses? Is there a "proper" way to provide font 
attribution, whether in a web page, document, or software?

Also, since there are proprietary fonts, is it a problem if someone uses 
those fonts in free software? Suppose I write a program and release it 
under e.g. GPLv3, would that imply I can't use proprietary fonts in it? 
A more generalised question might be: Can proprietary fonts be used in 
free cultural works released under e.g. CC-By-SA? I suspect the answer 
is no, but is there a way to figure out license compatibility between 
fonts and everything else they're used in?

Sorry about the stream of emails! I'm just trying to do what I can to 
promote free software and free culture in my organisation. Thanks for 
your help!