This is a phrase from the license of FontFonts (Meta is a FontFont):

2.6. You may not modify, adapt, translate, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, alter, or attempt to discover the source code of the Font Software. If you want to make modifications to the Font Software, you must obtain the prior written consent of FSI.

How many pixels high are you working? You could use the TM from a system font, say Lucida Grande or Trebuchet. If it's small enough the design won't matter much on screen.

Unfortunately when you embed a font in flash you are already modifying, translating, reverse engineering, decompiling, disassembling and altering the software. The same is true when you convert curves to outlines. I've never liked this kind of EULA.

This kind of EULA should get a public flogging.
FLOG, FLOG, FLOG.

Here's an idea, if you really want to respect the EULA: do a convert-to-oulines on the TM in illustrator and put the result in a new dummy font with just that glyph in it, enlarged. If they say a convert-to-outlines is illegal, then you know to really ignore them.

hhp

FontFont's EULA didn't always contain this clause, so the answer may depend on when you licensed the font. Do you have a record of the EULA that you agreed to?

Thanks for all your responses. I'm not the one who bought the font, so I don't have a copy of EULA.

With dynamic text fields in Flash, you can only specify one font and one size per text string. That's why those workarounds you mentioned won't work.

I can't believe it violates the license to embed the font into Flash...? That's crazy, for what are we supposed to use these fonts? And to convert it to outlines violates it as well..? It sounds like they make everything against the rules to cover themselves.

> for what are we supposed to use these fonts?

I would suggest to use other fonts! :-)
And let them know you did that.

> to convert it to outlines violates it as well..?

Not necessarily, and not realistically. Some EULAs, when read carefully,
seem to imply that, but it's hard to imagine anybody wanting to actually
do anything to stop it.

hhp

> for what are we supposed to use these fonts?

You can use it in any Flash document as look as the text isn't editable.

> to convert it to outlines violates it as well..?

Not at all. Only if you generate a new font based on FF Meta.

> Only if you generate a new font

The EULA says way more than that.
Like how would you interpret "decompile"?

hhp

> Only if you generate a new font

The EULA says way more than that.
Like how would you interpret "decompile"?

hhp

> Like how would you interpret "decompile"?

It certainly doesn't mean it can't be outlined. It's simply a protection against derivative fonts.

Brian, feel free to contact FontShop about your specific needs to be sure the license affects your project.

Stephen, think like a lawyer for a second (because that's who would be
giving Brian a hard time, not you) and try to define "decompile" for me.

Certain people are trying to scare users away from opening the
stuff in FontLab. Lawyers aren't about the law, they're about fear.

hhp