The WHOIS information is not very helpful either.

I would hesitate to contact them at the very least. At least, with an email address I wasn't willing to shed.

Domain ID:D134469569-LROR
Domain Name:FDRC.ORG
Created On:06-Dec-2006 19:43:07 UTC
Last Updated On:02-Dec-2007 01:35:21 UTC
Expiration Date:06-Dec-2009 19:43:07 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:GoDaddy.com, Inc. (R91-LROR)
Status:CLIENT DELETE PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT RENEW PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT UPDATE PROHIBITED
Registrant ID:GODA-025811766
Registrant Name:Registration Private
Registrant Organization:Domains by Proxy, Inc.
Registrant Street1:DomainsByProxy.com
Registrant Street2:15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:Scottsdale
Registrant State/Province:Arizona
Registrant Postal Code:85260
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:+1.4806242599
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:+1.4806242599
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:FDRC.ORG@domainsbyproxy.com
Admin ID:GODA-225811766
Admin Name:Registration Private
Admin Organization:Domains by Proxy, Inc.
Admin Street1:DomainsByProxy.com
Admin Street2:15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Admin Street3:
Admin City:Scottsdale
Admin State/Province:Arizona
Admin Postal Code:85260
Admin Country:US
Admin Phone:+1.4806242599
Admin Phone Ext.:
Admin FAX:+1.4806242599
Admin FAX Ext.:
Admin Email:FDRC.ORG@domainsbyproxy.com
Tech ID:GODA-125811766
Tech Name:Registration Private
The WHOIS recond is not very helpful is

Tech Organization:Domains by Proxy, Inc.
Tech Street1:DomainsByProxy.com
Tech Street2:15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Tech Street3:
Tech City:Scottsdale
Tech State/Province:Arizona
Tech Postal Code:85260
Tech Country:US
Tech Phone:+1.4806242599
Tech Phone Ext.:
Tech FAX:+1.4806242599
Tech FAX Ext.:
Tech Email:FDRC.ORG@domainsbyproxy.com
Name Server:DNS.MIDCOAST.COM

Greetings,

I am flattered by all this attention, FDRC is a collective of foundries, individuals and others concerned that the DCMA laws that apply to commercial software are also being applied to fonts. We have an confidential advisory board that helps further our mission and I am the face behind the curtain. If you have any questions, would like to use our services or report a shared commercial font, please do not hestiate to contact me directly either by email janet@fdrc.org or clicking on the link on our site: piracy@fdrc.org.

All my best,
Janet Moore
FDRC

Please understand that I am not out to demonize FDRC. I am glad that you responded, and I am not saying you are not legit - but on balance I am also still not 100% convinced that you are either. And further I think they way FDRC has been operating ( as far I can see ) definitely raises some red flags.

For instance: Why all the confidentiality? What foundries? Can they vouch for you?

Until I am convinced I am will still hesitate to email them with an email address I wasn’t willing to get rid of. And for now I encourage my fellow Typophiles to do the same.

FWIW

FDRC is a legitimate organization and from what I understand they are only interested in protecting their work. Being that they are a collective of foundries, I understand that they are not out to do anything more than protect their own work. I don't see how this can be seen as something bad.

If you follow any of the warez sites you will know that anyone who comes out against software sharing is seen as the enemy. I've heard stories of people who have been attacked (not physically mind you) because of it. I would guess the privacy is necessary because of this. I'd assume the same of the foundries.

I don't think FDRC should be seen as anything more than people trying to protect their work.

Thanks Tiff!

"We have an confidential advisory board"

That certainly makes the org sound respectable.

That certainly makes the org sound respectable.

I think it doesn't make it sound like one thing or the other. But I have to admit that until Tiff vouched for them I was never going to think about them seriously simply because I had no basis for doing so. I support what they are doing (I think...) but while my concern that they were just a front collecting email addresses for spam is now allayed, my new concern is that being too secret could get in the way of getting their work done. Not everybody knows Tiff after all. Maybe this is not really a problem. I am interested in understanding this better though.

I think David’s initial question relates to the event we’re hosting next month.

http://typophile.com/node/43054

At ATypI I spoke to several foundry reps about hosting events with a font business (rather than tech or historical) focus. In talking to foundries it seemed as if the FDRC member list would be the ideal audience. Beyond that not every foundry is a member (such as Font Bureau or Microsoft for that matter) hence opening it up to non-member vendors and type designers via the notices posted here, on lists and blogs that type designers and font vendors frequent.

Hope every type designer or font vendor will consider attending, I expect we'll all learn a lot.

If you follow any of the warez sites you will know that anyone who comes out against software sharing is seen as the enemy.

Right. If you are victimized, it's OK to say "please don't hit me again", but anything stronger is asking for more beats--because you can't rely on the authorities to protect you. Hence the softly-softly tactic. It's sad, but what else can you do? It would be unrealistic to imagine that a well-publicized anti-piracy campaign with industry-wide support would have any effect, seeing what has happened with music downloads.

Another approach is to ignore the swarm of gnats, and make a better product that people will want to buy rather than rip off. And write easier-to-understand EULAS. And provide consumer education. But all these are happening too, and no doubt pirates find the better products to their liking, and the attempts at reforming their mind-set very amusing.

The problem is intractable, as DTP is predicated on easy-to-copy font formats.

But the prevalence of font sharing (whole libraries, newest products, hottest designs) is predicated on ignorance of the value of font software. That is something that education can have an effect on.

When you call someone a "pirate", you label them as wilfully resistant to honoring IP or property laws or ethics. I don't think everyone sharing fonts is intentionally committed to piracy, I think many are unaware, and would gladly stop sharing if they understood where fonts come from.

>It’s sad, but what else can you do? It would be unrealistic to imagine that a well-publicized anti-piracy campaign with industry-wide support would have any effect, seeing what has happened with music downloads.

I think Monotype at least in the UK has had some success in this area working with the BSA in educating companies, especially larger agencies and traditional publishers. Going after little Betty and her font collection under the bed is probably not a good idea.

I don't understand how this works, the FDRC thing.

An anonymous organization with a "confidential advisory board"? If everyone stays anonymous, how does anything get done?

Sii says "the FDRC member list would be the ideal audience", but who is the list? Obviously the membership must be large enough to warrant this last statement, but if Berlow isn't in the "in" group, who is?

Thanks for all the responses, and yes, niether I nor FB are involved. We all have our own ways of accomplishing. And now back to our regularly scheduled programing: "Did not! Did So! You suck serifs! Do not! I saw you with Bodoni in the bushes! That was my wife you toad! Honestly! No way! You have no class (kerning)! Do to!"

Cheers!

Maybe a more militant anti-piracy organization is in order: Condensed-Black Panthers

Carl: But the prevalence of font sharing (whole libraries, newest products, hottest designs) is predicated on ignorance of the value of font software.

Really? Is the massive sharing of commercial film, television and music files predicated on ignorance of their value? It seems to me that font sharing is predicated on the desire to have something that costs money to obtain legitimately for free by getting it illegitimately.

[Tiro is not a member of FDRC, but we know some people who are and would vouch for them and for the legitimacy of the organisation.]

Sounds like John must have tugged on the mask of the old Lone Ranger :-)

ChrisL

Fonts are tools, and there is a commercial market for them as such, whereas that's not the case with music and video files.
That's kind of fortunate in a way, because there are many businesses which don't pirate software as a matter of principle--a large part of the font market.

"Is the massive sharing of commercial film, television and music files predicated on ignorance of their value?"

Let's not presume that the general public has anywhere near the awareness of type that they have of film and music media. The general idea in the states is that those media do have value, but that some people enjoy somehow getting free access to them. By contrast, fonts are just there, they grow on trees or are made by machines, and have no value because you can get them for free. Note: I'm not saying this difference exists, I'm saying the attitude, and the awareness it comes from, is very different. Do you not see that?

The fact that some of these so-called warez sites actually post the amount the different libraries are worth—often saying such things as "$20,000 in fonts"—leaves me to believe, at least insofar as warez sites are concerned, that they know very well the amount of money which they are "saving".

I do think students do have a certain period clouded by naivety. But teachers need to be the bringer of reality on that score. They must do their part in educating the students correctly. The teachers who share fonts are not doing their students any favors at all. (Neither to the schools.)

Is the massive sharing of commercial film, television and music files predicated on ignorance of their value?

Yes. People (present company excluded, of course) have no concept of what anything is worth.
Blame the Wal-Mart gallon-of-pickles, executive compensation packages, and font bundling.

But really, what does it matter what anything's worth? Smart people are the ones who get as much as possible for as little as possible, without getting caught, so why pay for something if you don't have to? Why bother to even think about what it's worth?

I was talking about fonts with a freelance graphic designer I bumped into at a party, and asked him where he got his from. He said a buddy of his gave him a CD full. I'm pretty sure he had no idea how many fonts there were on it, or what it would cost to licence them, and didn't care. He knew I was a type designer but it didn't phase him--probably didn't make the connection that he may have been using my fonts for free.

"Hey Nick, how's it going? Good to hear, good to hear. Yeah, I just finished this design for this company. It turned out okay. What's that? The font? Oh man, let me think. Lemme see if I can remember... Ah yes, I remember now. It came on some disk that a guy gave me. I used some squirrely looking font from FontFont called Oneleigh or something. Can you believe they wanted $150 for that from the website!"