I am new to this world, designing my first font. I wonder do any of you have experience you can share about the hazards of presenting a new font without it getting stolen? Is there any protection that I should get and use?
Thanks for your consideration.
0
Comments
The NDA is a tool of those already in power, not those seeking power... Meaning: somebody seeking favor cannot ask for the other party to take a risk; the risk here being that they might already be working on something similar, and if they agree not to "copy" yours, they get stuck...
Ergo: you have to trust the party you're showing. Also: you have to be honest to yourself concerning the originality of your work; and not be too protectionist if you end up seeing something you feel is too close.
Related: showing your work in public is an interesting double-edged sword. On the one hand the chances of being copied are much higher; on the other hand because you thenhave the first public record of it, it's much easier to lay claim, and less likely a given person will be brazen enough to copy it. Now, if you do show something in public, make sure you don't take too long to release it...
"you can include a requirement to disclose any in-process work that may be deemed similar to what you are disclosing, so there will be no future doubt."
Which very few in a position of power will agree to, because they generally won't trust an unfamiliar party to not steal their ideas, agreement or not; suing for breach of NDA does not bring your idea back... And usually the other party isn't materially even worth suing. So hypothetical NDAs are one thing, the realities of power are another, and an unproven beginner, being an unknown, simply has very little power.
BTW @jefecarpenter along the lines of what @ronotypo expressed, I highly recommend the Type Crit Crew: https://medium.com/typecritcrew/type-crit-crew-fdd180b881c
Not least because people who offer their time for free are less likely to be thieves...
[Last on the subject.]
[Just like giving useful advice is a duty, so is public discourse.]
I value your thoughtful contributions.